I took a drive on one of the world's most scenic roads. Take a look at all of the most breathtaking views.

Kelly EdenJan 4, 2023, 17:04 IST

We love taking road trips and the Great Coast Road was perfect for a day of fun and photography.Courtesy of Dean French

Great Coast Road in the South Island of New Zealand is considered one of the top drives in the world.
My family took a day trip with our photographer friend along the 63-mile road to capture the views.

New Zealand's Great Coast Road is considered to be one of the top coastal drives in the world. It only takes 90 minutes to drive and it's become a favorite family day trip of ours.

There are plenty of designated photo stops to pull over safely and enjoy the views. We took advantage of this one as our first stop.Courtesy of Dean French

New Zealand's Great Coast Road is considered to be one of the top coastal drives in the world. It only takes 90 minutes to drive and it's become a favorite family day trip of ours.

On one of our first stops, we could see the coast stretching into the distance

Here we had a chance to view the untouched forest spilling down to the coastal beaches.Courtesy of Dean French

The national park next to the Great Coast Road is also a rainforest, and for our next stop, we pulled over and enjoy the Westland Temperate Rainforest.

One of the highest rainfalls in the world allows this forest to flourish.Kelly Eden

We saw impressive cliffs and rock formations everywhere.

Every corner brought another beautiful scene into view.Courtesy of Dean French

I thought that the beaches along the road had interesting layered landscapes.

Dramatic rocky beaches made for great exploring.Courtesy of Dean French

I liked how the rocky outcrops added to the stunning sea views.

We could see several rocky outcrops and little islands just off the coast.Courtesy of Dean French

Since the sea was calm enough, we took time for a fun splash in the waves.

The kids took the opportunity to get wet.Courtesy of Dean French

We could stop anywhere along the road and find a picnic spot with built-in activities.

We thought this beach was great for a picnic of impromptu activities.Courtesy of Dean French

As we traveled up the coast, the forest changed and we could see more flax and palm trees

Large flax trees and Nikau Palms between the road and the coastline.Courtesy of Dean French

Next, we stopped at a small, but famous town.

The Pancake Rocks are a popular tourist spot.Kelly Eden

Even at low tide, I think the ancient rock formations with their striped layers are fascinating.

The limestone rocks seen at Punakaiki.Courtesy of Dean French

Just after Punakaiki, further up the Great Coast Road, a hidden track led us to a nice surprise.

A beautiful archway of trees and ferns led us down to the river.Courtesy of Dean French

We thought this area of New Zealand was great for spotting wildlife, including unique birds.

Weka are native to New Zealand and protected.Courtesy of Dean French/Kelly Eden

On our next stop, we found coastal homes, campsites, and nature walks.

A handful of people live along this road.Courtesy of Dean French

With the sun setting, we headed home.

I love how the evening light and stunning sunsets along this stretch of coast.Courtesy of Dean French

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I took a drive on one of the world's most scenic roads. Take a look at all of the most breathtaking views.

New Zealand's Great Coast Road is considered to be one of the top coastal drives in the world. It only takes 90 minutes to drive and it's become a favorite family day trip of ours.

On one of our first stops, we could see the coast stretching into the distance

The national park next to the Great Coast Road is also a rainforest, and for our next stop, we pulled over and enjoy the Westland Temperate Rainforest.

We saw impressive cliffs and rock formations everywhere.

I thought that the beaches along the road had interesting layered landscapes.

I liked how the rocky outcrops added to the stunning sea views.

Since the sea was calm enough, we took time for a fun splash in the waves.

We could stop anywhere along the road and find a picnic spot with built-in activities.

As we traveled up the coast, the forest changed and we could see more flax and palm trees

Next, we stopped at a small, but famous town.

Even at low tide, I think the ancient rock formations with their striped layers are fascinating.

Just after Punakaiki, further up the Great Coast Road, a hidden track led us to a nice surprise.

We thought this area of New Zealand was great for spotting wildlife, including unique birds.

On our next stop, we found coastal homes, campsites, and nature walks.

With the sun setting, we headed home.