Weather Woes

Hello from the other side!

Double win, because 1) Adele reference and 2) I am now on the other side (the Christchurch side) of Arthur's Pass. So witty, I know.

Once again, the weather has me seeking shelter at a library, but it might be for the best as my tuckered legs probably didn't want to hike again today after two tough hikes this past weekend. So, another chance to update the blog world of my goings-on.

Following Nelson, I journeyed south to St. Arnaud, where we spent Christmas, to do some more hiking there as Nelson Lakes National Park is stunning. The weather forecast didn't look great so I opted for a quick day hike to the top of St. Arnaud Range. After trudging up through beech forest for 1.5 hours, popping out of the bush line to this view was very rewarding! It was a bit cloudy at the very top but lower down, one could see for miles. A good start to my solo travel adventures. 

Lake Rotoiti and the town of St. Arnaud on the right. 

The drive from St. Arnaud to Westport on the west coast was lovely, weaving alongside the majestic Buller River.

Why go around a cliff when you can go through it? That notch on the far side of the river, called Hawk's Crag, was blasted out of the rock bluff in 1869 to fit one lane of vehicles.

There's this great phone app called CamperMate, which I hope everyone traveling by car in NZ knows about, that displays everything from free campsites, holiday parks, wifi hotspots, public toilets, things to do, and much more. It has been a much-appreciated lifeline in the last few months, and has taken us to all sorts of neat places for a place to park our van for the night. One lovely place it took me to, just south of Westport, was Jack's Gasthof, a little cafe/bar with an adjoined campground in the middle of nowhere. With beautiful grounds, delicious pizza and a great atmosphere, it was well worth the $8 per night to stay.

And the hydrangeas are out in full bloom in NZ right now, I just love it!

The following day was one of my favourites in a while. I drove a stunning section of coastline from south of Westport to just north of Greymouth, stopping basically every kilometer to gawk and take pictures and soak up the beautiful ocean views. I've always thought myself to be a mountain girl at heart, but the ocean really had me that day!

No penguin sightings (yet), but couldn't resist snapping a pic of this sign.

The Te Miko cliffs, which European explorers in 1846 had a hard time scaling during their west coast exploration, resorting to the use of an old Maori ladder made of wood lashed together with flax.

West coast, best coast.

Pororari River Gorge, dominated on both sides by huge limestone cliffs

Most of the spots I explored were fairly secluded and not super touristy, until I arrived at Punakaiki, the site of the famous Pancake Rocks.You can't tell from my pictures but it was a human highway snaking along the 20-minute loop from the highway to the rocks and back.

Waves crashing in the surge pool, called Devil's Cauldron.

The biggest blowhole, called Putai, sending up a small splash of water from the depths of the fissure. On stormy days, this can act like a geyser, dousing those on the viewing platform with a salty spray, but the sea was calm when I was there. And you can see here that the rocks do look like stacks of pancakes, as they are named!

The sea and wind have eroded the limestone rocks into these cool forms.

Despite being pretty tuckered from the day of exploring, I ventured out from my holiday park to a secluded beach that my off-the-beaten-path guide book, Frenzy, talked about, for a stroll at low tide as the sun descended into the sea. Off the coast of this beach were heaps of sea stacks eroded into all sorts of neat shapes. I wandered the beach for more than an hour, admiring the beauty of this photogenic coastline.

Sea stack selfie

As the tide was at its lowest point, starfish- and mussel-covered rocks appeared on the beach.

The dark clouds of the incoming storm added an ominous look to these geographic wonders.

From this day onwards, the weather has been mediocre at best, and rainy or drizzly 90% of the time. Gross. Made for a wet, cloudy drive east along Arthur's Pass, which is supposed to be dazzling on a good day, so that was a bit of a drag, but I've learned to make the best of things and take what comes, as there's nothing to be done about the weather.

...take away the clouds and voila!



The Otira Viaduct, as I saw it, but according to Google...

I hit up a few local short walks near Arthur's Pass Village, first checking out the main attraction, the Devil's Punchbowl Falls.

131 m high, this lofty falls is quite spectacular, sending wisps of water tumbling down from a small nook in the clifftop.

The Bealey Valley Track

This track was only 30 minutes or so, but Frenzy told me you can continue up the unmarked but still discernible trail alongside the Bealey River until you reach the valley end. It was quite the trek, and I almost turned back several times as it seemed a bit unsafe to be hiking and rock-hopping alongside a fast-flowing river in less-than-ideal weather conditions with steep avalanche chutes on all sides and not a soul around, but (sorry Mom) I'm stubborn and wouldn't let the slight hint of danger turn me around. The view at the end was well worth it! My pictures aren't the greatest due to the cloud and drizzle unfortunately. There were waterfalls pouring into the valley from all sides and steep cliffs rising up into the clouds. I felt like I was miles from civilization.

Tried to get a few of the many waterfalls into this shot.

(Cloudy) view back down the valley where I came from.

Nevertheless, I was happy to make it back to Lola without incident, and headed back through the village to a free campsite a few kilometers south for the night.

The next day, the weather looked slightly more promising so I started up Scott's Track to Avalanche Peak, which towers over Arthur's Pass Village. The track was brutal, climbing 1100 meters in 2.9 km. Luckily there were lots of spots to stop and enjoy the views.

From partway up the peak, looking north across the valley to the Punchbowl Falls.

At the summit, there was a nosy kea trying to snag a treat for lunch. These birds, as I said in a previous post, are the world's only alpine parrot, and they're also not in the least bit scared of humans. It's cool that they come so close, though, as you can get a good look at their beautifully-coloured feathers. Not so cool if they try to steal your lunch though.

I stayed up at the summit for about half an hour and eventually the clouds moved aside to give a taste of the views from this 1833 m peak. Well worth the sore legs!

After the hike, I continued east towards Christchurch and checked out a few other Frenzy recommendations: Cave Stream Scenic Reserve and Castle Hill.

In the middle of the photo, to the right of the river, you can see an opening in the cliff where Cave Stream comes out. The stream passes under the hill for 594 meters, due to the slightly acidic water dissolving the limestone over time and diverting the stream from its original path until eventually it passed entirely underneath the hill. Anyone can walk the length of the cave, although I was too tuckered to do that this visit but hopefully we'll pass by here again in the next few weeks.

Castle Hill is so named because of an array of limestone boulders scattered randomly over the hillside. This is rock-climbers paradise! I saw quite a few people bouldering among the rocks.

Fun fact from Wikipedia: in 2002, this hill was named a "Spiritual Center of the Universe" by the Dalai Lama. Also, nearby Flock Hill was the backdrop for the climactic battle scenes of the Narnia movie The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. 

That's all for now. Here's hoping for an end to this rain!

-Sonja

Coast to coast to coast

Hello from rainy Greymouth! I was lucky yesterday to have a full day of sunshine on this typically wet west coast, and now I'm paying for it: a storm is blowing through the South Island so I'm whiling away the day in the library catching up on emails and, of course, blogging.

January started off with a ground-covering 10-day trip of the South Island with my hometown friend Kim. I picked her up in Dunedin, on the east coast, on the 1st. We were eager to get to the west coast so didn't spend long in Dunedin, just long enough to wander the downtown area and get some exercise on the acclaimed world's steepest street!

This street gives San Francisco a run for its money. I'd hate to be someone living on it! Heaps of tourists..

It was actually quite the calf workout!

We also took a drive out the scenic and windy Otago Peninsula, but the weather wasn't very picture-friendly unfortunately, so we soon set off west towards Queenstown!

En route, we experienced the first of a few.. issues... that my trusty van Lola would experience over the next 10 days. The speed sensor stopped working while on the highway, and that led to a few other problems and a minor panic attack on my part, but thanks to AA (equivalent of CAA back home) I was able to get her checked out and ended up getting a new battery and a new speed sensor. However, that didn't immediately fix the problem which lingered around for the next 10 days but is now finally gone (hopefully for good, knock on wood).

Kim and I camped out at a holiday park-type thing in Queenstown for three nights, longer than we intended but the canyon swing, which we were itching to try, was booked up for a bit. Luckily we had gorgeous weather for two of the three days we spent there, and made use of it by hiking up the Queenstown Hill which offers lovely views of Lake Wakatipu and the mountains surrounding Queenstown. And of course, we tried a Fergburger, which was delicious as the insanely long queue outside the restaurant suggests.

The Remarkables Range forming an impressive backdrop to this area.

Canyon Swing!!!! That's the platform we jumped off, then you fall down 60 m before swinging out across the river. 

Kim and I each did our own solo jump and loved it so much that we opted for another, and this time we jumped together and backwards! It was terrifying but so thrilling and the adrenaline rush was amazing and addictive.

Following Queenstown, we spent a night in nearby Wanaka, which is much more calm than bustling, touristy Queenstown, but equally as picturesque as it lies on Lake Wanaka and is surrounded by mountains.

This view is from Iron Mountain, an easy hike near the centre of town.

The next day was a long one: 6 hours in the car to get from Wanaka to Franz Joseph Glacier, although we stopped lots along the way. Haast Pass, through Mount Aspiring National Park, is absolutely spectacular!

Lake Hawea, en route to the west coast

Thunder Creek Falls, another stop on the way

Made it!

Franz Joseph Glacier is tourist heaven. The glacier itself is accessible to anyone, including the big tour buses, so the 30-minute walk from the parking lot to the viewing point felt like a highway. Still cool to see a glacier so easily, and especially one right next to a temperate rainforest, which seems wrong. NZ is pretty special in its landscape!

A rare people-free shot, with the glacier poking its nose around the mountain in the distance.

Then, car mishap #2. Just north of Greymouth (close to where I am right now, funnily enough), Lola's hood started to smoke, but of course this happens when we're out of cell reception, so I carefully drove back towards town, found a bar of cell service, and managed to get through to AA to get a tow. Turns out the water hose broke, and something else happened with the heater control unit which I'm not entirely understanding of, but it required us to spend the night in Greymouth, sans Lola. Shouldn't be too hard to find a hostel room in a sleepy west coast town, right? Wrong. Every hostel bed in town was taken, but thankfully we had a tent, and one hostel owner took pity on us and let us squeeze into his already-full backyard. Not so thankfully, it stormed that night and we were both kept up almost all night in fear of flying objects crashing into the tent due to the wild winds and rain. We did survive, though, and picked up Lola the next afternoon all fixed up and ready to go. Onward to the east coast!

We hustled sleep-deprived across Lewis Pass, spent a night with a family friend in Culverden, then on to Kaikoura.

The Peninsula Walkway, at high tide. Got a wee bit wet rock-hopping this one!

Spot the seals! This area of the coast is a haven for NZ fur seals, as well as a gazillion seagulls, dolphins (we spotted a small pod offshore of our ocean-side campsite!) and heaps of other winged and water creatures. 

Beautiful east coast sunrise

This lil guy was climbing 300 m up a creek to a waterfall pool. What a trooper, it looked like quite the trek!

We were a little bummed as the fishing tour we booked got canceled due to the ugly weather, but that is the life of a traveler, we are at the whims of Mother Nature. I dropped Kim off in Picton at the ferry and meandered along Queen Charlotte Drive, which even in grey weather is beautiful.

Marlborough Sounds

The Pelorus River. LOTR fans, recognize this? This is the site of the scene in the Desolation of Smaug where the dwarves are floating down the river in barrels!

After a night camping alongside the beautiful Pelorus, I headed back to Nelson to pick up some mail and do a bit of trip planning.

Stunning sunset over the Tasman Bay near Nelson.

As I said, I'm now further south on the west coast in Greymouth, but I'll save the tale of my travels from Nelson to here for another post. Time to head to Arthur's Pass and hope this storm blows through tonight so I can do some hiking this weekend!

Cheers,

Sonja

South Island Adventures

Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays, whether in the sun or the snow (or a mix: I heard Ontario was in the positive double digits for Christmas! Yikes!) 

The remainder of December found Antoine and me in the mountains for the most part, but also a bit of ocean time. We started with the three-day Tableland Circuit in Kahurangi National Park, in the northwest corner of the South Island. To sum this tramp up in one word: windy. So so windy. Like blow-you-off-the-trail windy. Nevertheless, we didn't get rained on and the views were stunning when the clouds weren't in the way. 

A kea, the world's only alpine parrot! 

This hike was chok full of neat rock formations, due to the sinking and then rising of the tablelands over the last 50 million years and the movement and partial erosion of quartz gravels and limestone. (Thank you hiking guide book) 

A brief glimpse of Tasman Bay from the summit of Mount Arthur. Darn clouds! 

The views were much nicer below the clouds that were constantly hanging over Mt Arthur. This is looking back towards Tasman Bay and the Nelson area, so the same as the previous picture but at a lower elevation and sans clouds.  

The majority of the wind was on day two, walking on ridge tops to Mt Arthur's summit then crossing Gordons Pyramid, where the gusts caused me to frequently put a hand down so I didn't topple over with the added 'sail' of my backpack. The views over the extensive tablelands were unreal though!

Hard to tell but the wind really is trying to blow him over! 

Where are wings when you need them?? 

We stayed in DOC (Department of Conservation) huts both nights and met some nice folk from all over the world (USA, England, Singapore, Spain to name a few). And I was reminded once again how small this country is: the volunteer hut warden on our second night was a hiker I met last weekend at a hut on my solo tramp.

Day three was a tame and flat 14km walk through beech forest back to the car park. Great to have a hiking companion again and start getting a taste for some bigger mountains! 

We spent two nights in Motueka after that at a lovely vinyard motel/campground, then headed up to the Golden Bay area, checking out the Riwaka Resurgence on the way, which is where the river emerges from under Takaka Hill. It is a sacred place to Maori, with pure, crystal-clear water that appears to come from nowhere before quickly turning into a bubbling stream.

I thought of it as an ever-filling soup bowl of clear water. There was definitely a special atmosphere to this spot! 

We used the hippie town of Tanaka as a base for the next few days. It reminded me a lot of home, with one main street lined with cute cafes and shops selling all colours, varieties, and designs of hippie clothing and heaps of jewellery. The market on Saturday displayed much of the same, along with some live music, yummy food stands, massages, face painting, and all sorts of trinkets.

A side street mural

There's heaps to see in the Golden Bay area. Even the drive there across Takaka Hill was stunning, with amazing views back towards Tasman Bay and ahead to Kahurangi National Park and Golden Bay beyond. I'd been recommended this area as a must-see by many people and was looking forward to exploring it.

Te Waikoropupu Springs, aka Pupu Springs, acclaimed as the clearest spring water in the world. The Internet tells me underwater visibility is 63 metres! 

Wainui Falls, our first taste of Abel Tasman National Park. 

The main purpose for our visit to this part of the country was a day of kayaking along the coast of the Abel Tasman. We lucked out with stunning weather, and there were very few other kayakers or hikers where we went as most people explore the other side of the park. We saw sting rays, heaps of birds, seals, and a legit stick bug. Such a wonderful day of paddling, hiking, and of course some beach time.

  All smiles :) 

The beach we paddled to and did a small hike from. Had it to ourselves for the most part!

Separation Point, where the Tasman and Golden Bays meet. Heaps of seals down on the rocks to watch. 

The picturesque Abel Tasman coastline

The following day we drove up to the tip of the South Island, Farewell Spit. This rates up there for one of my favourite places in New Zealand, but for weird reasons. It was insanely windy, and the wind sweeps the sand along the beach (picture below) and by the time it gets to you it's going fast enough to feel like a million little knives cutting into your legs. Between that phenomenon, the crashing waves and having the beach basically to myself, it all felt very surreal and I was reminded of the raw power of nature's forces.

Farewell Spit is a haze of sand in the distance. 

Found this guy sunning himself on the beach, but I had to get this close to be sure it was a seal and that it was in fact alive. I accidentally woke him up and he wasn't super impressed but didn't chase me thankfully. 

Wharariki Beach, near the Spit, hosts some cool offshore rock forms and a seal colony! 

Fighting the wind 

I spy some seals! Hard to see in the pictures but there's a big guy hanging out in the middle near the sand and a bunch more including some pups on the ledge higher up. 

We treated ourselves to mussels and beer at The Mussel Inn on the way back to Takaka. I think this was my first time having mussels and I quite enjoyed them! In-house brewed beer with names like Golden Retriever Ale complimented the mussels beautifully.

The next day we explored a bit more before heading back to Motueka.

Rawhiti Cave, a phytokarst (=where plants and calcium work together to 'grow' stalactites and stalagmites) near Takaka. Steep hike but worth it! 

Split Apple Rock at the other end of the Abel Tasman. 

So now we're up to December 23rd, and what should one do when in the southern hemisphere for Christmas? Go hiking, of course! We were very last minute at planning our hike although we knew generally where we wanted to go, and the nice lady at the St. Arnaud DOC office helped us figure out our route. We were very lucky and grateful to have perfect weather and conditions for our three days in Nelson Lakes National Park. Couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the holiday here!

The first hour was a brutal calf workout straight up a mountain but the views of Lake Rotoiti and the surrounding area made it worth it! 

 Robert Ridge on the day one

Couldn't get the smile off my face with those views! 

Angelus Hut on the shores of Lake Angelus in Angelus Basin. I'm sensing a theme here... 

I have a jumpshot addiction... 

We tackled Angelus Peak on Christmas Day. It was a mostly easy and slightly scrambly 1.5hr trek from the hut, and once up there the views were absolutely unreal (see above and below). I don't know what it is about mountains and peaks but they are just great. We lingered up there with the peak to ourselves for an hour before reluctantly descending back down to the Basin.

Wonderful spending Christmas away from home with this guy! 

What a place! 

All packed up (and a lot lighter) and heading out on day three. Definitely a hike to remember! 

I'm now in Queenstown on a speedy 10-day tour of the South Island with Kim Wiest, my friend from home who got some time off from her aupair job in Wellington to travel with me while Antoine picks cherries in the Otago region. More on that in another post!

Cheers,
Sonja