Category Archives: New Zealand-2015

Fox Glacier to Rapahoe Beach-Day 11

Lake Wanaka to the Glaciers and Beyond- Day 12

After emerging from the long road to Rob Roy we drove down the entire length of Lake Wanaka, which got less and less inhabited, and stopped at Boundary Creek for this late afternoon view.

View of Lake Wanaka from Boundary Creek Overlook
View of Lake Wanaka from Boundary Creek Overlook

We were traveling up towards the Haast Pass, following the river valley, and  pulled into the Makaroa Camp as night fell. There were a fair amount of hikers but none of them seemed very friendly.

Makaroa Holiday Park Kitchen
Makaroa Holiday Park Kitchen

The kitchen/ dining building was a  great space  and the showers were appreciated. I cooked up some Ramen noodles with fresh veggies thrown in, had a glass of wine, and went to bed.

Butterfly Falls
Thunder Creek Falls

In the morning we packed up and started up the valley to the Haast Pass.

 

Clouds Hanging On the Southern Alps at Haast Pass
Clouds Hanging On the Southern Alps at Haast Pass

The clouds hugging the peaks looked cold but it was nice and warm in the valley.

Cold Water and Warm Air Equals Fog in Valley
Cold Water and Warm Air Equals Fog in Valley

Melting Glaciers and snow pack from the mountains up ahead make for some seriously cold water. This valley floods in a big thaw but we are past that time now.

 

The Road Through the Mountains Narrowed
The Road Through the Mountains Narrowed

We climbed the last peak and everything started to flatten out, the types of trees changed and we crossed the Haast River one last time.

Another One Lane Bridge
Another One Lane Bridge

We appreciated the clear  signage on all the single lane bridges. This one means those on the left heading towards the coast must stop (small red arrow) and yield to those coming at them Big Black Arrow). This was a rare bridge with a lay by in the middle in case you got caught out there.

Windswept Coastal Vegetation
Windswept Coastal Vegetation

The West coast loomed up suddenly and the trees changed again, into salt tolerant layers that leaned away from the wind.

Tasman Sea at Tauperikaka Marine Reserve
Tasman Sea at Tauperikaka Marine Reserve

The sky cleared off as we followed a walking trail through the dunes and reached a white sandy beach covered in driftwood.

The sand turned to pebbles as we walked North towards the point.

Tauperikaka Beach
Tauperikaka Beach

This beach was formed by runoff from the glaciers as they retreated into the mountains behind here. The stones on the beach have many different origins and have been worn smooth by first glacial grind and then ocean wear.

Ship Creek Meets the Tasman Sea
Ship Creek Meets the Tasman Sea
Glacial Beach Pebbles
Glacial Beach Pebbles

This whole area is now a Marine Preserve and a small kiosk at the car park tells of finding bits of wreckage of an old wooden sailing ship, the Schomberg, lodged in this creek.  The ship went down in 1855 just shy of Melbourne Australia, and parts of it floated 2000 km east, across the Tasman sea, to land here.

Next stop is at Fox Glacier, about 2 hours North.

Avalanche Debris on Way To Glacier
Avalanche Debris on Way To Glacier
Warning Sign at Fox Glacier
Warning Sign at Fox Glacier

You don’t need to be able to read to know what this means. Glacial runoff can be quite unpredictable.

The Long Walk to What is Left of Fox Glacier
The Long Walk to What is Left of Fox Glacier

The glacier has retreated so far that it is a long walk up to it theses days.

Fox Glacier-Further Than It Looks
Fox Glacier-Further Than It Looks

The glacier creates its’ own weather and there is a cold head wind blowing off it as we walk in. The ground is all gravel wash.

End of the Trail At Fox
End of the Trail At Fox

This is as far as you are allowed to go without a trained guide and special equipment. People die trying to get too close. Look at the tiny mouth of the drainage in the distance, zoomed in below. People actually try to get in there even though it is constantly collapsing.

Closeup of Ice Cave Drainage Under Fox Glacier
Closeup of Ice Cave Drainage Under Fox Glacier

Even Jeff was not tempted to do that.

Looking Back at Last Climb With Sign That Says-"Don't Stop for Next 400M! Rocks Falling"
Looking Back at Last Climb With Sign That Says-“Don’t Stop for Next 400M! Rocks Falling”

By the time you decide to visit here, the glacier may be totally gone. The only way to see what is left these days is by helicopter. They fly by every 15 minutes and are  loud and obnoxious.  You might want to arrive before they start flying for the day, or be in the helicopter yourself.

The next Stop is at Franz Joseph Glacier.

We are greeted by a sign.

No Bikes, No Drones
No Bikes, No Drones

After walking down the trail to where it crosses the river, we get another sign.

Trail to Franz Joseph Closed Due to Flooding and Storm Surge
Trail to Franz Joseph Closed Due to Flooding and Storm Surge

So much for that. We drive back out to the coast, go over yet another single lane bridge…

Pretty Red Steel One Lane Bridge
Pretty Red Steel One Lane Bridge

…and arrive at Rapahoe Bay Holiday Park , a private oasis set up in an old one room schoolhouse right on the beach. It is run by a woman who lives in a tiny building connected to the camp who obviously loves to garden. She has a handyman on site as well. There is nothing fancy or upscale about the place but it is  welcoming , restful and full of charm.

Rapahoe Camp FlowerBed
Rapahoe Camp FlowerBed

Our site was tucked away in a corner and surrounded by tall green hedges with a wild sort of path through the shrubs onto the beach.

Private Pathway to Rapahoe Beach
Private Pathway to Rapahoe Beach

It was only a few steps through the brush to reach the pebble beach.

Stepping Out to Rapahoe Beach
Stepping Out to Rapahoe Beach

The entire beach is covered in super smooth grey rocks, which makes me think that the sea is really rough here and it might not be such a great place to swim, if it was warm enough, which it is not.

Stormy Sky Over Rapahoe Bay
Stormy Sky Over Rapahoe Bay

The school house has a well outfitted kitchen, easily set up to share pots and pans and all kinds of hanging utensils. We join the other folks in there and get to talking as we cook. One woman is by herself and this is the first time she has ever gone “camping” or even away by herself. She is hesitant to join in the group conversation but warms up after awhile.

One woman of a couple has stories to tell about being the 111 operator in Christ Church during the big earthquake a few years ago. She tells us that if we knew how limited the emergency services on the South Island were we would not want to come. She had to pull help from anybody she could think of to get people help. If she knew somebody with a good tractor or a chainsaw or a winch, she lined them up. Friends with 4 wheel drives became ambulances, people who knew somebody with a helicopter got called in. She ended up leaving her job because of the stress, 12 hour shifts, and low pay, and is much happier now. But she says just about everybody quit and now help gets routed through the North Island and they don’t know any neighbors who can help down here.

There were nine of us at dinner, sharing tables to eat. The ex 111 operator brought out a homemade banana cake and shared it all around. We sat, drank wine and talked until way past bedtime.

The sound of ocean waves on the loose stones rocked me to sleep.

Next Post- Pancake Rocks and beyond.

-Wendy lee , writing at edgewisewoods

 

Keye Summit Hike_Day 9-10

Knob Flats Campground Day 9-10

We woke up to a beautiful morning at  Knob Flats, the rain finally moved on. It was going to be a beautiful sunny day.

Promising Morning at Knob Flats
Promising Morning at Knob Flats

First stop was  at  the Earl Mountain Track and a river crossing over a single strand wire bridge with a short hike to a waterfall. I have never seen another bridge like it but it worked just fine.

Wire Walkway Bridge
Wire Walkway Bridge

Of course you have to bounce up and down on it some to get the full effect.

Heading Towards The Divide
Heading Towards The Divide

This was the excellent view from our parking spot.

The next stop was at The Divide, where the Routeburn track meets with the Keye Summit Track. We were heading up to Keye Summit.

P1110983

The weather was warming up from the 5 degrees C last night and it was already 11C. Layers started to peel off.

From Keye Summit
From Keye Summit

The regular trail ended but the Frenzy Book told us to keep on going out past the marsh on a little used path.

Keye Unnamed Trail
Keye Unnamed Trail

It kept going and going and sort of petered out, but we kept going because it was too peaceful and gorgeous to stop. And the weather was absolutely perfect.

Keye Reflection
Keye Reflection

Hard to believe the beauty, isn’t it?

Beyond Keye
Beyond Keye

We were about three and a half hours in by now and it just kept getting better.

Keye Moss
Keye Moss

There were alpine plants and marshes way up there. We had climbed 1750 feet from the beginning of the trail. no body else was up there but us.

Looking Down From Beyond Keye
Looking Down From Beyond Keye

This is looking Northeast down from our unnamed  track.

Hanging Lake Beyond Keye
Hanging Lake Beyond Keye

This was near the top towards the North West.

Valley Lakes from Beyond Keye
Valley Lakes from Beyond Keye

The different hues in the water indicate glacial melt the closer turquoise cloudy lake, and rain catchment of the clearer, darker color.

Keye Tundra Pools
Keye Tundra Pools

There were these shallow, clear, warmish pools on the upper tundra that looked like a good place to see frogs, but we didn’t see any. Little early maybe.

Endless Trail Beyond Keye
Endless Trail Beyond Keye

How could you NOT follow this trail? It called to us.

Keye Perfect Mirror
Keye Perfect Mirror

We ate our lunch and soaked up a few rays and finally headed back down the trail,only because there is so much we want to see here. If you ever go you have got to do this trail out beyond Keye Summit.

Next post will be closer to Milford.

-Wendy Lee, writing at edgewisewoods

Milford Sound to Rob Roy Glacier-Day 8-9

Milford-Day 8

As we leave the Divide Parking area and Keye Summit track, we turn towards Milford again, and see the solid rock mountains we have to drive through to get there. This area is often inaccessible in the winter months due to snow and avalanches. The government  has an avalanche monitoring program and they sometimes they set charges via helicopter to bring them down with some degree of control.

Heading Towards Milford From The Divide
Heading Towards Milford From The Divide

The road has signs declaring the need for chains and warnings saying not to stop in avalanche zones during the winter months. Like if you didn’t stop, you could outrun an avalanche…

The Milford Road Hits the Mountains Dead On
The Milford Road Hits the Mountains Dead On

The Homer Tunnel is coming up, which a hardy group of men bored through the solid rock mountain between 1930 and 1952 , having stopped construction during WWII.  It is a long one lane tunnel and we have to wait about 20 minutes for the light to tell us when it is safe to go through from our side. This light does not work after dark and I would not want to wonder if someone was coming. We do it in daylight. While we wait, Jeff has to go snow caving in the last of the snow.

Snow Cave Near Homer Tunnel Entrance
Snow Cave Near Homer Tunnel Entrance

If you look close at the picture below you will see the tunnel mouth we have just come through.

Looking Back At the Homer Tunnel
Looking Back At the Homer Tunnel

Then we stopped for a short walk up The Chasm and we caught a Kea bird  in the process of taking the gasket off a rental car’s windshield. He could smell some candy left on the dash through a window that was cracked open, and he wanted it badly.

Kea Bird Trying to Breaking Into A Car
Kea Bird Trying to Breaking Into A Car

The Chasm was an easy walk in a deep and narrow gorge with a rushing snow-melt river that would eventually empty into Milford Sound.P1120290

There were views along the trail of the gorgeous mountains.

Window on Chasm Trail
Window on Chasm Trail

When we got to the foreshore walk in Milford, the sun was getting low, the temperature was dropping, and it was windy.

Milford Shore
Milford Sound From the Fore Shore
Milford Waterfall
Waterfall At Milford

It had been raining lately, so there were waterfalls on the fjord. We were glad we had done the boat ride across Lake Manapouri and Doubtful Sound so we were satisfied to just gaze on Milford from land. We started heading back the way we came towards the Homer tunnel again. we stopped just before it and another Kea came and visited us.

Kea checking Out Some Velcro on the Roof
Kea checking Out Some Velcro on the Roof

After stopping at various waterfalls on the way, we pulled into Knob Flats to spend another night and enjoy the wonderful hot showers.

In the morning we got a late start and as we headed down and out the valley we saw all kinds of buses headed in, so that was a good thing. For some reason we kept seeing  Chinese tourists taking pictures of their young teenage daughters jumping in mid air whenever we passed a view point. It was strange. Normally we saw them taking selfies on a stick.

We knew we had finally left the park when there were green meadows and sheep everywhere again.

Sheep
Sheep

We passed clean glacial lakes with, I hear, some huge fish in them.

Glacial Lakes Everywhere- Devils Staircase Lookout
Glacial Lakes Everywhere- Devils Staircase Lookout

We are heading in the general direction of Queenstown, but as we get there we realize it is not our kind of place at all. It looks like a touristy shopping frenzy, so we drive right through it and go up a loop road behind there, stopping at Arrowtown instead. This is a very small, old gold mining town, much quieter, although still touristy. We did the museum, which was well put together in an old storefront, checked out one shop and had an ice cream cone before leaving.

We are looking forward to hiking to Rob Roy Glacier tomorrow. On the way though, we come across the first commercial Bungee jumping operation in the world and have to check it out. With photos, not jumping. I have no desire to put my back to that test, ever.

Bungee Jumping Bridge
Bungee Jumping Bridge
Bungee Rescue Raft
Bungee Rescue Raft

Apparently you can specify how far down you want to go when you bounce. One of the options is right into the water. At least it’s clean and they have a rescue raft ready.

Into the Naked Hills
Into the Naked Hills

We start seeing acres of Kiwi and Cherry Orchards under bird netting, and vineyards in the valleys.

Getting Closer to the Mts
Getting Closer to the Mts

We ended up at Lake Wanaka for the night, in an ugly campground on the hill overlooking the lake  and lots of wind. We did not have high hopes.

Sunset at Wanaka Camp
Sunset at Wanaka Camp

Our parking spot was right next to the kitchen  and shower block, so at least we did not have far to go.

Ugly but Serviceable Wanaka Camp
Ugly but Serviceable Wanaka Camp

Surprisingly, while we were eating our dinner, we met a foursome consisting of two Brits and their French girlfriends who were camping in tents across from us. They shared their wine and we told stories to each other until almost midnight. It was a blast. In the morning we all went our separate ways, ours to Rob Roy.

Our English and French Friends at Wanaka
Our English and French Friends at Wanaka

We didn’t do anything at  Lake Wanaka itself, although there were flyers all over the kitchen bulletin board of all the local activities. New Zealand has some wild ideas of what fun is. There is Canyoning, which is throwing yourself down narrow whitewater canyons and hoping you emerge with no broken bones and still breathing air, for one. Then there are lot of jet boats on freezing cold water, jumping out of helicopters on skies, ice climbing, you name it. I would not have wanted to do some of these even when I was much younger.

As we drove towards our nice calm glacier hike, the  hills were getting bigger and serious mountains with snow caps started to appear again.

Up the River Valley Towards Rob Roy
Up the River Valley Towards Rob Roy

We drove, and drove…the road turned to gravel…we drove through the creek nine times. There were sheep in the meadows and waterfalls coming down the sides of all the hills. The weather was perfect for a hike. And it wasn’t even windy.

Road Turns to Gravel and Crosses Creek Nine Times
Road Turns to Gravel and Crosses Creek Nine Times

Some of the creek crossings were pretty deep and splashed over the hood.

Creek Crossing
Creek Crossing

Most of them were fairly shallow. Finally, it was time to abandon the car and start hiking on this beautiful day. We loaded up our packs with food and water and headed up the trail.

Start Hiking
Start Hiking

There was a well built bridge over the river. A lot of folks hike this trail but it was not at all crowded on the trail and there were only cars in the parking area, no buses.

Nice Bridge
Nice Bridge
Bridge Over River
Bridge Over River

The trail starts climbing up the side valley and we take our first breather at the view over the main valley below.

First Breather, Looking Up Valley
First Breather, Looking Up Valley

We keep climbing. Rob Roy’s elevation is at 8,672 feet so we have a long ways to go. There is a glacial blue stream rolling over boulders on our left and layers of clothing  are coming off as we steadily climb through shady forest.

Side Stream Waterfall
Side Stream Waterfall

We emerge out of the woods into clearings for great views of where we are hoping to go.

Headed up Rob Roy Trail
Headed up Rob Roy Trail

Every now and then we hear what sounds like thunder or maybe an explosion, which is a little scary. We start thinking about avalanches. There are signs periodically telling you how to react if there is one.

Rob Roy and Waterfall
Rob Roy and Waterfall

We finally come out into a wide open boulder field and see a thousand foot tall waterfall and Rob Roy behind it. That is when we hear another BOOM! and we see chunks of glacier calving off. It echos throughout the canyon for a good while. It is no danger to us since it is still so far away and on the other side of the gorge. It seems much closer until you try to hike to it.

Flowers
Flowers

It is the beginning of summer and there are wildflowers about. I think this plant is in the Ranunculus family.  We stop for lunch at the end of the normal trail where there are about twenty people scattered about sitting on boulders and soaking up sunshine. There is a good view of the waterfall, the creek below, and the glacier, which is way across the gorge and still  much higher than us.Where Rob Roy was Calving

Where Rob Roy was Calving

About once an hour  chunks come off and bounce down the rock face with a powerful deafening sound.

We want to get closer to the main glacier, further back the valley, so we find a tiny remnant of path and continue up hill.

Tiny Path
Tiny Path

We have to wade through chest high gorse, and climb boulder trails, but it is a beautiful day so we don’t mind. We have finally gotten used to hiking and climbing after doing it so much,  so it has gotten much easier.

Boulder Crevasse
Boulder Crevasse

The rock is a granite schist and comes in all kinds of colors .

Made It! More to Go Though
Made It! More to Go Though

We keep climbing and climbing without seeming to get any closer to the top, but every little bit is a new milestone.

About as Far As We Went
About as Far As We Went

We finally stopped when we realized that we could see just about all of it just over this rise. The glacier is obviously shrinking each year as a lot of them are these days. We made a little cairn of rocks to mark our spot, took some photos and headed back down the nonexistent path.

Walking Back Down From Rob Roy
Walking Back Down From Rob Roy

It was going to take us a long while just to get back to the marked trail.

COLD Water Coming Off the Glacier
COLD Water Coming Off the Glacier

So of course we had to hike down to the water to see just how cold it was before going back up to meet the main trail. I think it was actually colder than ice water.

Looking Back at Rob Roy

Looking Back at Rob Roy

It is kind of amazing how far you can hike and still never reach the top.

Pointing to Where We Climbed Off Trail
Pointing to Where We Climbed Off Trail

 

Sheep crossing the creek
Sheep crossing the creek

After we made it all the way down to the wide river bottom in the main valley, we took a footbridge, while the sheep tip toed through the creek.

A Ewe with her Twins
A Ewe with her Twins

Notice one lamb’s banded tail has dropped off while the other is still holding on. We occasionally found some of these dropped tails while hiking…

According to the GPS, we had hiked seven and one half hours and did 12.9 miles with an elevation gain of only 1840 feet. No wonder we never reached the top. It was a great hike though, and we went further than most people do. After we got back in the van (and took our boots off!) we started back out the gravel road and came across these Kayakers that had just been dropped off by an outfitter. You would not want to fall into this cold water. They had a short trip, as we saw the outfitter waiting for their arrival ,down the road just a few miles.

Kayakers
Kayakers

The next thing we came to was cows wandering around in the road.

Cows in the Road
Cows in the Road

Then we reached pavement and there were sheep all over the road.

Sheep walking down the road
Sheep walking down the road

Then Elk which were fenced in…P1120887Finally we got back out on the main road and ended up getting to a camp in tiny Makaroa as night fell.

Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog. I want to share as much as I can without boring anyone to death.

-Wendy lee, writing at edgewisewoods

 

 

Taieri Beach to Doubtful Sound-Day 5-7

Taieri Beach-Night 4

We spent our fourth night at the tiny Taieri Mouth holiday beach camp, a tiny little place tucked behind the dunes, with a path giving direct access to the beach.

Wildflower Dune Path
Wildflower Dune Path

We parked, did our walk through to get familiar with the kitchen and bath setups, and immediately headed down through the  wildflower covered dunes, emerging onto a flat endless beach.

Taieri Beach Sunset
Taieri Beach Sunset

We picked up abalone shells and watched the sunset over the water and had to tear ourselves away to go back and cook  dinner.

Abalone at Tieriri
Abalone at Tieriri

Cooking was fun because we shared the kitchen with two  young French couples who had work visa’s  as environmental engineers and were also  tramping (Kiwi for long hikes) around the South Island for a year. They spoke mostly French, and since we do not, we  had an amusing time trying to talk about our travels. This ended up being one of our favorite camps because it was so small and friendly and we had such great interactions with other folks.

Taeiri Kitchen
Taeiri Kitchen

The showers were basic rustic cement block  but the kitchen was homey and we all fit around the table. After dinner we went back out on the beach to star gaze in the incredible unbroken darkness.

Taieri Sunrise

Taieri Sunrise

We met the camp owner at checkout in the morning  and she said she had come here on holiday two years ago and ended up buying the camp  so she could stay. She lives in a tiny camp house, keeps a few laying hens, grows a garden and works in Dunedin as a security guard for the hospital at night. There was also an older guy living in one of the single room camp huts with his labradoodle who just couldn’t bear to leave. He was barely getting by on his pension and was enjoying his simplistic arrangement.

Rainbow at Taieri
Rainbow at Taieri

 Right after the sunrise there was a rainbow, and now it is raining and we are driving down a dirt road with sheep on both sides of the road. Always sheep.

As we drive down the coast, we stop at every little cove, waterfall, trail and lighthouse that we see. There are always seals or sea lions down below on  the rocks, resting up from their swims and waiting to sun themselves on this still grey morning.

Rainy Catlins Beach
Rainy Catlins Beach

This area on the south east portion of the island is called the Catlins.  You might think it would be chilly all the time this far south, considering that Antartica is the next place down, but the ocean currents sweep down from up near the equator on the West side of the island and then hug the shore on the East side heading back north, so the weather is tempered here. On warm days there are cool breezes and on cool days there are warm breezes. Breezes being the key word.

There are little Blue penguins and Yellow Eyed penguins that nest along this shore, where there are  rocky places, protected pools and bush areas coming down to the waters edge. The parents hide the babies in the scrub brush while they go out fishing for the day, and then when it gets dark they come back and feed them regurgitated fish. We are going to see if we can spot some tonight at Curio Bay.

Tokata/ Nugget Point is the next stop on our way this rainy morning. A rocky promontory with a lighthouse out on the end and nuggets of rocks jutting out into the ocean, which has wrecked many a ship.

Tokata Light
Tokata Light

Tautuku Nature walk is a little further down the way and it finally stops raining. It is a jungle, one of the few left after the colonial settlers arrived and cut down all the timber.

Jungle Path
Jungle Path

Walking in it brings home just how daunting it would have been to arrive on this coast from a little wooden ship and try to make your way inland.

Giant Tree Fern
Giant Tree Fern

There are giant tree ferns, Liana vines, bayonet like sword ferns, huge trees and very little light. A machete would have been useful, but luckily there is something of a path for us. Suddenly you emerge through the tall strappy flax right onto a totally flat deserted sandy beach. NZ flax is not the blue flowered Linum that we know but rather Phormium tenax and Phormium colensoi, known by the Māori names harakeke and wharariki respectively. The Maori used the plant fibers for clothing, ropes and  fishing baskets.

 McLeans Falls- another short walk we came across. There are tromps and trails everywhere in New Zealand.

Mcleans Falls
Mcleans Falls

The last stop of the day was down the road a bit for a chance to see penguins coming in after nightfall to feed their young parked up in the bush. We sat  among the petrified tree molds in the rocks at Curio Bay for four hours as the tide came in and the sun went down. It was windy and cold and then it got dark and even colder. As usual we had layered our rain gear over quick dry hiking clothes, so we were comfortable.

Curio Bay with Petrified Log
Curio Bay with Petrified Log

We sat out until 9:30 Pm and finally manged to see one Penguin emerge from the nursery in the shrubs, which was cool. By then the crowd of 30 people had thinned to five of us die-hards.

Penguin Parent

Penguin Parent
Penguin Parent

We ended up camping way up on the bluff that night, stashed among a giant flax maze, overlooking Curio Bayon one side and Porpoise Bay on the other. We arrived way after dark and were surprised in the morning to find just how close we were to the cliff edge. No wonder it was so windy that night. The van was rocking with it and we were worried the tent would blow off but we still slept really well.

Porpoise Bay
Porpoise Bay

Day 6

The main part of the camp was overlooking Porpoise Bay,  where people swim with the endangered Hector Dolphins under the pretense of learning to surf. No body was out there since it was still too cold to swim. And windy. There are only three to four thousand Hector Dolphins left on the planet, with genetically separate groups  surviving only around the NZ South Island. These porpoises don’t travel from the East coast to the West coast so the gene pool stays separate and limits their adaptability.

Pewter Sea at Porpoise Bay
Pewter Sea at Porpoise Bay

The light changes constantly, as does the weather, and the ocean was mesmerizing to watch.

Heading inland a little ways now, the next semi-planned stop is the Cliffden Caves, to see Glow Worms, and because Jeff just has to go caving or he gets antsy.

Entering Cliffden Cave
Entering Cliffden Cave

The entrance is small but it opens up inside and there are some gorgeous formations.

Flowstone
Flowstone

There are Glow Worms all over the ceilings which you can spot as glistening spider web like threads hanging down when your light hits them. You turn off your lights and they look like a sky full of stars over your head. The cave is in very good shape considering how easy it is to find and a little strange in that there are reflector tapes marking the way out. We were hoping to do a through trip but the pool of water at the other end looked really deep and we didn’t want to get soaked. It turns out, it was only knee deep and we could have done it without getting all that wet. The reflection on the water fooled us. At least we kept our boots dry.

Some Big Rooms
Some Big Rooms

And now, for the rest of the day we drive on towards Manapouri and Doubtful Sound, which the New Zealand Frenzy books  
say is a better choice for a boat trip than the, for some reason more well known , Milford Sound. Since we had not reserved a space on a boat in advance, we stopped at the launch site for Real Journey’s on Lake Manapouri for information, and were inspired and lucky enough to get a space for a trip the next morning. I love it when things just work out like they are meant to be. They recommended the small, local Manopouri Holiday Park, which we had not seen advertised anywhere, and it also turned out to be a great choice.

The owners came here with their VW camper bus in the 1970’s from the U.S. ,and proceeded to build Swiss style mini chalets and campsites.

Manapouri Kitchen House
Manapouri Kitchen House

We parked in our un-powered site tucked into the trees and proceeded to make ourselves at home, doing laundry and cooking dinner in the clean and homey kitchen building. The photo on my New Zealand page is of the kitchen here.

Manapouri Dining Room
Manapouri Dining Room

Day 7- Doubtful Sound

In the morning we boarded the first boat to take us across Lake Manapouri, which was beautiful in its own right. At the far end is a mostly underground water powered electric station that normally we could have toured. Today, though it was under some kind of maintenance and closed to tours. That’s Ok by me as I am more interested in visiting the fjord. It is called a sound but that is not what it truly is and to get there you either have to enter from the sea (which is not likely as it is in the middle of nowhere) or you have to cross Lake Manopouri and travel overland 22 km to the Fjord and get on another boat to travel around it. When they built the power plant they built a road over that 22km stretch that begins and ends in water. There is a bus that takes us across the mountain on a one lane road where we board another boat to tour Doubtful.

Doubtful Sound on a Rainy Day
Doubtful Sound on a Rainy Day

It is an off and on rainy day and waterfalls are everywhere in the sound. The boat has a comfy sitting area inside where it is warm and dry and you can pour yourself some hot tea and listen to the guide. It is easy to get up and go outside and get some great photos.

Low Hanging Clouds in Doubtful Sound
Low Hanging Clouds in Doubtful Sound

Penguins and dolphins both come into the sound.

Penguins in Doubtful Sound
Penguins in Doubtful Sound

Every now and then it clears up a bit.

Rain Brings Waterfalls to Doubtful Sound
Rain Brings Waterfalls to Doubtful Sound

And then the clouds paint it back. We traveled up three arms of the fjord and they were all gorgeous.

Distant Mountains
Distant Mountains

If it had been sunny and hot it would have been very different. It was a perfectly beautiful way to spend a rainy day for us.

Grey is Beautiful
Grey is Beautiful

The captain and guide were unobtrusive yet friendly and observant, allowing us to get close enough to get sprayed on by one big waterfall.

Huge Waterfall in Doubtful
Huge Waterfall in Doubtful

Today was Jeff’s birthday and this is what he got, a good seven and a half hours long memory of a great day spent with a few nice people from all over the world.

When we disembarked it was time to look for our next home for the night, so we headed towards TeAnau and Milford Sound.

Lupines Add Color
Lupines Add Color
Water drop on Lupine Leaf
Water drop on Lupine Leaf

After a short stop at Mirror Lake we camped for the night at Knob Flats, which is run by the DOC (Department of Conservation). This was a great little camp with a ranger in residence who directed us to a great little trail to a waterfall in the woods right behind us, that we would never have known about otherwise.

We’ll start there an the next post.

-wendy lee writing at edgewisewoods

 

 

 

Mount Sunday to Tasman Glacier-Day 4-5

New Zealand Trip- Day 4

This morning, while laying in bed, we watched a pickup truck drive all the way across the wide river bed to the railroad tracks on the other side. He had to zig  all over the river bottom in search of crossings shallow enough for his truck. When we finally got up and opened the sliding van door we were met with a such a horde of sand flies ( giant gnat like things with huge teeth) trying to beat their way into our camper, that we high tailed it out of there without even making coffee first.

The plan for today is to go see the Tasman Glacier at Mount Cook National Park , stopping at interesting  places along the way. Rakia gorge is an easy first stop along the road with no hiking needed for the views.

The second stop is way down a  long, mostly gravel road, something like forty six  kilometers, to hike around on a small hill called Mt Sunday,  aka: “Andorras” ,  surrounded by huge mountains ( one was “Helms Deep”) and glacial rivers.

The Road to Mt Sunday
The Road to Mt Sunday
"Little" Mt Sunday with BIG Mts in Back
“Little” Mt Sunday with BIG Mts in Back

There were only a few people there ahead of us and we pretty much had the place to ourselves, with some cows and sheep wandering about for effect.

Sheep Leading the Way
Sheep Leading the Way

The Mt Sunday hill looked small until we started climbing  it which took about 40 minutes and it was quite windy at the top, making our pant legs flap and snap like sails. The surrounding mountains looked huge and seemed close, but it would actually take days to hike into them. The sun was warming our little spot on the hill and it was a beautiful place to spend time just sitting there taking it all in, watching the weather move around in the peaks.

View from Top of Mt Sunday
View from Top of Mt Sunday

On the way out, there was an entire herd of cows being moved down the road into a new pasture, using cattle dogs, pickups and people on foot. It was like swimming through cows as we drove slowly through.

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We have noticed all the houses and farms have above ground water tanks and there are palm trees growing in all sorts of places, mixed in with eucalyptus and pine trees. It must not get very cold in the lower elevations of the South Island. Looking it up on a plant hardiness zone map  it seems to be mostly Zone 8, which  averages lows of -5 to -10C , or 12 to 20 degrees F, in the mountains and then zone 9 on all the coastal edges. I don’t think this takes into account the elevational changes in the big mountains though. In the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, we are in Zone 6b which gets a lot colder, with the average annual minimum being 0 to -5 degrees F, or about -17 to -21 degrees C.  which is why we don’t get palm trees or giant tree ferns at home.

Single lane bridges abound, in the wide river valleys, posted with signage as to who has the right of way. It seems to be that heading upstream you usually give way to folks heading downstream. You cannot always see if there are people coming at you or not from the far side, and you have to go on faith. Sometimes there are lay-by’s in the middle. We are glad we are here in the (just barely) off season. A whole line of tourists could make these bridges kind of scary. Right now all we have to avoid are the sheep…and a few cows.

As we drive further away from the mountain ranges and again head south, the terrain progresses into fairly level farm land, with alfalfa fields and newly planted Kumara (NZ sweet potatoes). We start to pass incredibly  large, aluminum piped,  irrigation setups and then some giant rubber lined ponds that seem to be for warming up and settling out the seriously cold mountain runoff. We are on the “dry” side of the mountains, although maybe since summer is just starting, it does not seem all that dry yet.

We arrive at Lake Tekaupo, with beautiful (although invasive) lupines blooming everywhere, gorgeous turquoise blue water, and snow capped mountains in the distance.

Lake Tekaupo. Lupines
Lake Tekaupo. Lupines

The Tasman Glacier is up ahead, further than it seems, because the mountains are so big in the distance. It looks like storms are brewing up in there but here, the water in the lake is intensely turquoise blue and the sun is shining.

Road to Tasman Glacier
Road to Tasman Glacier

Once we actually get all the way up the valley, the hike to the actual glacier turns out to be further than we are willing to go, especially since the clouds have gathered and it is now cold and rainy, so we don our rain gear and settle for climbing up a steep, stair step path for a view of the glacial pond and morraine dam at the closer end of the glacier. As with most glaciers these days it has been retreating for many years now and will soon be gone.

As we leave the Tasman valley, the glacier, and supposedly a view of Mt Cook, is completely socked in, but the sun slanting under the clouds lends even more color to the landscape around  lake Pukaki.

Lake Pukaki in Tasman Valley
Lake Pukaki in Tasman Valley

We settle for the night in nearby Twizel, ready for another day.

Tuesday Day 5

The hedges, the hedges. There are evergreen tree hedges everywhere (both leafy and needled) and about 30 feet tall, shaved on the sides to make them only a few feet wide. They are between every field and somebody has to go around trimming these things. It looks like a steady job.

Hedges Everywhere
Hedges Everywhere

We are now heading for the coast to check out the Moeraki Boulders. It is weird how sheep pastures have seaside views in New Zealand. There is so much coast and so few people that even ocean front property is farmland right down to the water. Sheep at the beach. I suppose if the water was warmer, people would flock there instead.

Moeraki Boulder Beach
Moeraki Boulder Beach

The boulders are ancient concretions that have been washed out of the sand dunes where they were buried eons ago. Some of them have cracked open revealing the different layers of stone.

Inside a Cracked Boulder
Inside a Cracked Boulder

Next we came to seals sunning themselves on the rocks. Lots of seals. And giant kelp swirling around.

Seal with Giant Kelp
Seal with Giant Kelp

Next, we have to drive through an actual town, Dunedin (pronounced doo NEE din) on our way to an Albatross colony and penguins. It is a city with the University of Otago, and a busy harbour and shipping port. We do not stop, although we get turned around on a road detour and end up at a castle accidentally. The gardens looked promising but it was closing time by then so we found our way back to the road.

Harbour at Dunedin, Otago Peninsula
Harbour at Dunedin, Otago Peninsula

Albatross are huge birds that look similar to seagulls and they fly right over your head very fast, so it was hard to get a good photo of one.

Otago Light ans Albatross Cliffs
Otago Light and Albatross Cliffs

Albatross and gulls were flying around the lighthouse and zooming by right over our heads at this spot. We could see seals and dolphins and diving water birds down in the water and there were flowers blooming all around the cliffs.

It was getting late so we started south again  looking for a camp for the night.

Please share and comment if you can. It is nice to know you are out there reading this.

Wendy lee, writing at edgewisewoods.com

 

Akaroa to Arthurs Pass NZ-Day 1-3

Christ Church to Akaroa

On Sunday, we finally landed in Christ Church and  shuttled over to install ourselves in our new tiny home, a bright orange, Spaceship camper van. The folks there showed us all the features and where to stash stuff and how to put up the tent, installed the DVD player and gave us some tips. We scrounged some leftover food and a couple of yoga mats from the free box (where previous Spaceship renters leave any extra gear or food)  filled the water jug,  plugged our GPS unit in, and headed out of town.  We stopped at a gas station ( well, two because the first would not take our credit card) and then a  grocery store for some basic foods (coffee, wine…) We needed to get used to driving on the left side of the road and negotiating all the round a bouts, which is easier to do on country roads. Luckily, it does not take long to get into country from town.

Green Hills, Sheep, No Trees
Green Hills, Sheep, No Trees

Within just a few miles we were rolling past velvety green,  grassy hills, mostly covered in sheep,  headed south east to the Banks Peninsula. Sheep would become quite the norm as days went by. I have never seen so many sheep, not even in Great Britain. Many of the lambs still had tails and looked about ready for market.

Naked outcroppings of volcanic rock  and compressed ash layers jutted out here and there, along with greyed out stumps of long gone forests. The lack of trees on the steep hills was bothering me after awhile. In West Virginia, we would be worried about erosion with such naked hills.

Volcanic Rock and Ash Layers
Volcanic Rock and Ash Layers

There was a nice local  art gallery on the way, and a “Silo Stay” accommodation next door that was intriguing, so we stopped there for a bit to browse. A metal sculpture garden led outback from a little shop where you could get a light meal. The Silos had been made into little cabins, with running water and everything.P1150549

We caught occasional glimpses of seaside cliffs and blue ocean down below and there were giant tree hedges outlining the fields everywhere.  I have never seen such tall hedges and can only imagine the job it must be to trim them so neatly. That is two jobs I have never considered- giant tree hedge trimmer, tail docker…

P1150584

We detoured  down a narrow windy road, through the tiny village of Okains Bay, to stop at a Maori Museum. The docent was a Maori woman and the Museum ( in a converted cheese factory) housed a fascinating collection of Maori tools, boats, fishing baskets, sculptures, jewelry, artifacts and local history, and was well worth the stop. We were the only ones there and she told us to not worry about closing time- we could stay as long as we liked. Since there were about eight small buildings and a boathouse there was a lot to see.P1150920We learned that the Maori arrived in the banks area in the 1300’s and the European settlers not until 1850. The first Maori tribes were quite fierce, and they fought and killed each other, and some settlers as well, before finally settling down. They have since managed to assimilate quite well, while retaining their native language and some parts of their culture . The Maori did manage to kill off quite a few of the native birds, such as the 12 foot tall Moa, and the colonial settlers were responsible for bringing in all kinds of invasive plants and animals, which has destroyed many of the native  populations.  The only native mammals New Zealand originally had were three species of bats and several marine mammals, such as seals, sea lion, whales and dolphins. The country is currently attempting to protect what they have left with marine reserves and eradication efforts aimed at predators but it seems to be a losing battle.

Just down the road,  at Okains Bay Beach Preserve, there were  a couple of ancient shelter caves we stopped at next. There was a campground there too, but it did not seem to be open for the season yet, so we moved on. P1150957_CAVE_Okains

We were getting seriously tired,  so we drove  the rest of the way down the peninsula to the Akaroa Holiday Park and got set up on the hill overlooking the harbour. We were finally on vacation.

View from Camp
View from Camp

There were only a few other campers and we had a great view of the harbour and village down below.

 

P1160031_FRBaySunset
Sunset on Akaroa Harbour

We were sitting on what was once an ancient volcano that had blown out, forming the protected Akaroa Harbour at its’ center.  Akaroa village is the oldest European settlement on the Island and retains some of it’s  French influence and language.  After enjoying the view and checking out the nice, clean camp kitchen and showers, we took a nice evening stroll down a little path through the woods and into the village,  for a celebratory dinner of fresh fish at Ma Maison, watching the sunset over the water.

Akaroa, Riccarton, Castle Hill, Arthurs Pass-DAY 2

In the morning, we woke from a great sleep to a pair of friendly ducks and our first of many camp breakfasts  of yogurt, fruit, and cereal.  I snagged some instant hot water from the camp kitchen dispenser for my new morning staple of instant coffee mixed with hot chocolate.  I am a lazy cook when I camp and did not have a coffee pot. I was impressed by the other folks who were being much more energetic and actually cooking, but I just wanted my coffee.  The showers were our first lesson in the need for better planning. It helps if you have your soaps, towels and clothes ready in one kit each, with the next days clothes pulled the night before, and it is hard to share shampoo when you are in gender specific bathing areas. It was so nice to to be able to get a hot shower though, and remove the travel grime.

Jeff decided that he wanted to start heading towards Arthur’s Pass today, way up in the mountains west of Christ Church, so we folded away our little tailgate tent and started driving back out the Peninsula.

Our next stop, other than overlooks along the way, was at the Riccarton Bush native forest park in Christ Church, with 600 year old kahikatea trees and an impressive fence around it to exclude predators. This was an introduction to many of the native tree and fern species on the island, including giant tree ferns, my favorite.

Kahikitea loop Track in Riccarton Bush
Kahikitea loop Track in Riccarton Bush

Driving up the “Great Alpine Highway” towards Arthur’s Pass, our next stop was at Castle Hill, a hike through an odd outcropping of glacial worn, limestone boulders perched on a hill in a sheep meadow. Very cool. Parts of “Narnia” were filmed here. We had fun climbing all over the boulders, gazing out at  the snow capped mountains in the distance.

Castle Hill Track with Snow Capped Mountains
Castle Hill Track with Snow Capped Mountains
P1100274
Limestone Boulders of Castle Rock

Cave Stream Scenic Reserve was right up the road and we stopped there and considered going caving. However, it involved  entering  the cave through cold water, at least waist deep, and by the time we emerged at the other end I would have been hypothermic and totally miserable. So we hiked over land to the entrance and the exit points and checked it out only superficially. It was a little disapointing but still worthwhile. Plus, there really weren’t enough hours in the day.

Cave Stream Exit
Cave Stream Exit

We continued on, getting closer and closer to the “Southern Alps” , which rise 920 meters above sea level at Arthur’s Pass. They really do look a lot like the Alps in Switzerland, with sharply defined rock faces, evergreens on the lower slopes and snow on the tops. The road started hugging the edge of  extremely wide,  braided gravel river bottoms,  with blue-cold glacial melt water rushing by.

Braided Glacial Melt
Braided Glacial Melt

There were numerous trail heads  marking many different treks going off into the mountains, for which you needed some pretty serious equipment, such as climbing ropes and winter-ready gear. You could spend months just hiking  the trails on the South Island. We were not prepared for a seriously technical trek and had just enough daylight left to hike to the Devils Punch Bowl and then Bridal Veil Falls before we needed to find a spot to camp for the night.

Devils Punchbowl
Devils Punchbowl
View from Bridal Veil Falls
View from Bridal Veil Falls

We camped right beside the river in a rough camp with nothing but an outhouse , too tired to bother getting out the stove and cooking. We ate some cheese and crackers and went to bed with the sound of the river running over rocks just a few feet away.

Camp by the River
Camp by the River

A Kea bird, sort of a parrot, known for their inquisitiveness and their ability to remove valve stems and windshield wipers, landed on the roof and Jeff chased him away.P1100398

We sure did not need him punching holes in our tent.

The sun set on a good day and the river sang us to sleep.

Sunset on Arthur's Pass
Sunset on Arthur’s Pass

Wendy lee, writing at edgewisewoods.com

http://www.akaroa.com/local-information/history

New Zealand Travel Route

Jeff made a color coded map of our New Zealand travel route, starting on the South Island at Christ Church through Picton, where the Ferry is.  Each color is a separate day. although sometimes we backtracked so they overlap. We started on the East Coast of the south Island, headed South, then West, then North and East, then did the upper part last.

The second map, of the North Island, starts at Wellington, where the ferry lands, goes north to Cape Reinga and then backtracks south, ending at Auckland. From there we flew to Sydney and Perth Australia to spend Christmas/ New Years week with our daughter and her family.

The first map is the South Island. Be sure to go to the separate page titled New Zealand-December 2015 . The blog posts are categorized by New Zealand, then either North or South Island and I have tried to add the day number of our trip so you can try and keep them in order.

Each post has links (in green) for more information.

I hope you get to go yourself someday. It has been the most wonderful place I have experienced so far.

Also, if you are looking to rent a Spaceship, go to Spaceship

South Island Route-Christ Church to Picton
North Island Route-Wellington-Cape Reinga_Wellington
North Island Route-Wellington-Cape Reinga_Wellington