Arrowtown to Christchurch, NZ – 16 - 20 May
We spent our last day in Arrowtown by taking a trip in Queenstown (20 min away) and seeing some the sights there we had missed. We went to the Kiwi Park and could almost see two kiwis roaming round in the dark. We then took a gondola to the top mountain above the city where many of the thrill rides are: bungee jumping (it wasn’t Lance up there) wheeled luge and a tandem parasailing. Most people there at the time of our visit were sane and just sipping hot chocolate in the observation building trying to keep warm.
The next morning we were on the way to Wanaka and the west coast, via a somewhat icy steep road. We had a final beautiful view of Arrowtown, surrounded with snow capped mountains on the way out. The town of Wanaka sits on a pretty lake with a view of the snow covered Mt. Aspiring where we had lunch and a lovely walk around the lake. From there the road really started to climb through Haast Pass and the vegetation changed dramatically from sparse, almost desert like, to a lush rain forest. The mountain range on the west coast of the country catches all the rain before it has a chance to reach inland.
As we descended to the west coast down steep mountains we passed through forest of huge tree ferns and trees covered with vines and moss. We stopped to admire a huge waterfall along the side of the road where got acquainted with a lovely couple from Auckland, the Angus’s. We ended up staying in the same hotels and having breakfast and dinners together for a couple more days. . We arrived at Haast, on a stony river delta; the air was very misty with low clouds. On the way to Jackson Bay we actually saw a sign “Penguins next 5 km” (we guessed you have to look out for them so you don’t squash them on the road).
The next morning we drove along the Tasman Sea to the Fox Glacier in what are known as the Southern Alps. This glacier was a very impressive sight with a huge cave at its front face, gushing an entire river as it melted. To get a better look we took a 30 minute helicopter tour with just a pilot, the two of us and another passenger. What a thrill!!!! We flew up the glacier from its base, huge ridges and could almost reach and touch the crest of Mt Cook the highest mountain in New Zealand. There are some75 glaciers in this range of mountains and they flow into each other like rivers of ice. The peak experience, however, was when we landed on the glacier near the top, and got out of the helicopter for a photo op. We sank into snow to above our knees and could barely move. (fresh snow from the last couple of days) back into the helicopter we flew back to the Fox Glacier Township. We then drove to Franz-Josef Glacier only 25 miles up the road. What an impressive day!!!
The next day we drove 4 hours north to the Punakaiki and stayed at a “homestay B&B” which was located right inside the rain forest. From the deck we looked down on the canopy of ferns, and were greeted by a flightless bird walking around in the driveway). Punakaiki is known for these wonderful rock formations referred to as “pancake rocks”. They are made up of layers each a few inches thick that have been eroded by the surf into the strange shapes. At high tide, the ocean squirts out through blowholes in these rocks creating spectacular geysers. In the morning we took a walk through the rain forest bush to the strange bay surrounded by over hanging rocks covered with foliage with wonderful caves and waterfalls. After leaving Punakaika we drove east across the South Island to Christchurch through some incredibly steep mountain passes and snow capped mountains. We are enjoying a wonderful evening with our hostess Barbara Cox who owns the house in Arrowtown and promises to show us the highlights of Christchurch before we move on to explore the North Island of New Zealand.
The next morning we were on the way to Wanaka and the west coast, via a somewhat icy steep road. We had a final beautiful view of Arrowtown, surrounded with snow capped mountains on the way out. The town of Wanaka sits on a pretty lake with a view of the snow covered Mt. Aspiring where we had lunch and a lovely walk around the lake. From there the road really started to climb through Haast Pass and the vegetation changed dramatically from sparse, almost desert like, to a lush rain forest. The mountain range on the west coast of the country catches all the rain before it has a chance to reach inland.
As we descended to the west coast down steep mountains we passed through forest of huge tree ferns and trees covered with vines and moss. We stopped to admire a huge waterfall along the side of the road where got acquainted with a lovely couple from Auckland, the Angus’s. We ended up staying in the same hotels and having breakfast and dinners together for a couple more days. . We arrived at Haast, on a stony river delta; the air was very misty with low clouds. On the way to Jackson Bay we actually saw a sign “Penguins next 5 km” (we guessed you have to look out for them so you don’t squash them on the road).
The next morning we drove along the Tasman Sea to the Fox Glacier in what are known as the Southern Alps. This glacier was a very impressive sight with a huge cave at its front face, gushing an entire river as it melted. To get a better look we took a 30 minute helicopter tour with just a pilot, the two of us and another passenger. What a thrill!!!! We flew up the glacier from its base, huge ridges and could almost reach and touch the crest of Mt Cook the highest mountain in New Zealand. There are some75 glaciers in this range of mountains and they flow into each other like rivers of ice. The peak experience, however, was when we landed on the glacier near the top, and got out of the helicopter for a photo op. We sank into snow to above our knees and could barely move. (fresh snow from the last couple of days) back into the helicopter we flew back to the Fox Glacier Township. We then drove to Franz-Josef Glacier only 25 miles up the road. What an impressive day!!!
The next day we drove 4 hours north to the Punakaiki and stayed at a “homestay B&B” which was located right inside the rain forest. From the deck we looked down on the canopy of ferns, and were greeted by a flightless bird walking around in the driveway). Punakaiki is known for these wonderful rock formations referred to as “pancake rocks”. They are made up of layers each a few inches thick that have been eroded by the surf into the strange shapes. At high tide, the ocean squirts out through blowholes in these rocks creating spectacular geysers. In the morning we took a walk through the rain forest bush to the strange bay surrounded by over hanging rocks covered with foliage with wonderful caves and waterfalls. After leaving Punakaika we drove east across the South Island to Christchurch through some incredibly steep mountain passes and snow capped mountains. We are enjoying a wonderful evening with our hostess Barbara Cox who owns the house in Arrowtown and promises to show us the highlights of Christchurch before we move on to explore the North Island of New Zealand.
posted by Dahlia and Lance Riley @ 3:53 PM
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