Whether driving south via the Pancake Rocks and Blowhole at Punakaiki or north via the Haast Pass, one of the most stunning drives anywhere in the world, the West Coast is a world in itself, battered by raging wind and storms over thousands of years to create a remote wild, yet mesmerising and enchanting landscape. Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers are two of the major attractions on the West Coast with Aoraki Mt Cook a short flight away. Many surprises await the more intrepid traveller through this sparsely populated region, rewarding those who make the effort.