New Zealand South Island Road Trip 2025 – Elephant Rocks

From Lake Pukaki we back-track and little and head east. There is something we want to check out on the East Coast. On the way we spot tourist signs and make the occasional diversion to check them out.

One of the more interesting ones was Elephant Rocks near Duntroon.

Once again these are just in old mates paddock and it’s a honour system donation to enter.

What are they?

Well they are big rocks sticking out of the grass.

More specifically they are the disected remnants of the Otekaike Limestone formation sitting over Oligocene Koloamu Greensand.

That is. Big limestone rocks sticking out of the grass.

The site was used as a filming location for the film version of that famous fantasy book that was filmed in New Zealand.

No, not that one! The Chronicles of Narnia.

The rocks look nothing like Elephants, nor witches, lions or wardrobes.

But they are pretty cool.

From here the plan is to push through to the east coast

New Zealand South Island road trip 2025. Part 2. Pancake rocks

Continuing on from Charleston we chug on down the coast calling in to the unsign-posted and little heralded Hatter Bay,

Then another beach

and the push on to Punakaiki to check out the famous Pancake rocks.

We arrived late afternoon in drizzling rain but made a dash around the short circuit walk, before camping nearby and coming back the next morning in what we thought would be “better light”. TBH the rainy afternoon photos picked up the contrasts and colours much better.

We then drive through to Hokitika gorge