NZ Road Trip: South Island Day 9 A Hotel in Greymouth!

Driving along the west coast is a tiring ordeal. There are many twists and turns to navigate and there is so, so much to see. The forest is super dense, healthy, and lush and appears like a solid wall of foliage along the side of the road.

We passed the two glaciers in the area, getting a good peak at Fox and Franz Josef from the drive. We had a dramatic view of the Fox Glacier from our lunch stop at Lake Matheson.

Onwards up the west coast highway we went. The rain stayed with us, proving that this really can be the ‘wet coast’. We passed through Hokitika taking a walk around the village and beach. This is the greenstone capital where much of the prized Stone of New Zealand is sourced and carved.

We made the call along the way to take a hotel in Greymouth for the evening. After nine nights living in the van, we deserved it. It was a real treat to have a big cozy bed, hot shower, and TV for a night. We enjoyed a nice dinner at the historic Speights ale House followed by a movie marathon in the hotel room.