New Zealand Views - Punakaiki, Pancake Rocks and Palm Trees!

Punakaiki is a small coastal village in the South Island of New Zealand which I visited last year when I was moving from Auckland to Queenstown. I decided when I got to the South Island I'd drive to Queenstown via the west coast as I had not seen this part of the country.

I was blown away by the stunning beauty of Punakaiki and the surrounding area, with lush coastal vegetation and native palm trees, it almost looks like tropical paradise despite being in a temperate climate.

Punakiaki is home to the famous 'pancake rocks' which is composed of heavily eroded limestone.

Looking in a northerly direction from Dolomite Point where the pancake rocks are located is the headland of Perpendicular Point.

There is an abundance of nikau palms (Rhopalostylis sapida) growing in in the coastal forests. This is the only palm native to New Zealand and is also one of the most southerly growing palm species in the world.

I stayed overnight in Punakaiki and in the evening I decided to take a drive and explore the local area and get some photos for potential seascape paintings. As I drove north across the headland I came across absolutely stunning view which looks towards Kaipakati Point in the distance.

I love plants and trees and I'm fascinated by New Zealand native plants. This is a cabbage tree (Cordyline australis) which is also known as ti kouka in maori. These are very common monocot trees that grow across the country.

As I drove a little up the coast to take photos I came across this beautiful beach. This view looks towards the other side of Perpendicular Point.

I think I will definitely have to paint a couple of seascapes of this area. If you ever visit New Zealand you must visit Punakaiki.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post :)