In the small town of Whataroa we visited a Maori museum where we witnessed the carving of a 3500-year-old whale jawbone into a relief of the Maori myths of creation. Up the road, we liked the pancake rocks and blowholes in Punakaiki so much we stayed an extra day. The beach beside the holiday park was spectacular, and the roar of the surf and deafening cicadas lulled us to sleep each night in Beethoven.