Heading Northwards

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Wed. 22nd. Feb.
Absolute chaos at the bus terminal, people being put on one bus, then being transferred to another. We could do without this at 8:00 a.m. Finally under way, only to stop 1/2 hour into the journey to swap more people over.. Crazy! Eventually the scenery was lovely, blue lakes going on forever and Southen Alps set off to perfection by the sunshine. Then the rain came and the scenery disappeared until we arrived in Franz Josef. A quaint town, with mountains in the distance topped by snow. We stayed at Montrose Backpackers, which was ok except for the automatic doors that made a heck of a noise closing. Lie-ins are not an option here.

Thurs.23rd.
All hell broke loose at 7:00a.m., when a Yorkshire couple burned their toast, and set the fire alarm off! As they scurried back to their room, blaming the toaster, we evacuate the building, mainly to escape from the high-pitched noise. People in hostels streets away were awakened, but no fire service arrived. By then the Kia birds were awake, so their screeching added to the mayhem. The day can only get better, and so it does. Another snowfall overnight made the mountains even more beautiful. The glacier is about 5 miles away, and was a very pleasant walk beside the milky white river, and through the sub-tropical rain forest. This glacier is no where near as breath-taking as that in Argentina ( does that surprise you?), but it is unusual in that it flows into a dry river bed, and the face is almost at sea level. The access to its terminal is along the dry river bed, and it's easy to imagine the valley brimming with ice all those years ago. The different levels of trees on the mountain sides indicate where the ice settled. Well worth a visit.

Fri. 24th.
Our next stop is Punakaiki, a 5 1/2 hour bus journey away. One of our comfort breaks was at Bushman's Cafe, where they sell homemade possum pie. We're sure our ice cream tasted better! Our next lodge is in the back of beyond, so we have to take all our provisions with us. It's called Punakaiki Beach Hostel, and if you want peace and quiet, this is the place to be. Right on the beach, with the Tasman Sea crashing into the front garden and a spectacular view of the "Pancake Rocks". No reception here for phone or tv, but unfortunately the in-mates aren't that talkative.The peace is shattered by the coming and going of an Air Force rescue helicopter landing just 20 metres away. Aparently a Japanese tourist has gone missing in the bush, and there are 12 teams of servicemen out looking for him. Eventually they find his body by a stream, so that takes the shine off paradise for a while.

Sat. 25th.
A walk along the beach and up a hill brings us to Pancake Rocks. Very impressive, even at low tide. Limestone layers interspersed with silt from the sea bed ( so Jim says) do indeed give the impession of a stack of pancakes, albeit over 100 feet tall! Even our sons couldn't eat that many! The walk-ways and the presentation of the views are first class and, surprisingly for New Zealand, are free. Mind you, on the way there, we were accosted by two 7 - year-olds trying to sell their junk to the passing tourists. After lunch, we walked the other way along the beach which eventually led to a river walk in the bush. The beauty of which was tarnished by knowing that this was the path that the Japanese man had taken. Back to the lodge to spend an hour in the spa, watching the sea, then just time to catch the sun-set from the verandah, before we start dinner. Backpackers are such an honest lot, and we're so impressed with our groceries always being there amongst the chaos!

Sun. 26th.
The promise of another fine day, not hot but at least dry. High tide is at 10:15, so we walk back to the Pancake Rocks to see if the spouting bore holes are doing their thing. The sea is crashing about, but not fierce enough to erupt through the bore holes, so we take even more photographs, and retreat to the lodge for lunch.The stop for the bus to Nelson is at the top of a huge hill, so that passed half an hour, only for the bus to whizz past our lodge in 2 mins. flat! Arriving in Nelson, we were met by the Paradiso minibus, whose driver kindly waited outside the supermarket, while we bought essential provisions, namely a bottle of wine to go with our carry-out of fish'n'chips. The lodge would be perfect for young backpackers - a 12 metre swimming pool, spa and sauna, even free breakfasts and tea-time soup. So long as they close their eyes to the dirty, cracked crockery, etc. In our bedroom it would be impossible to swing Monza's tail around, let alone the rest of him!

Mon. 27th.
A pleasant half hour walk into town, and Nelson seems to have everything, even sunshine. We stock up with groceries and head back to the pool, It's been a hard day, so rather than cook we decide to be lazy and opt for another fish'n'chip supper. Unfortunately, the shop closed at nine, as does everywhere in the immediate vicinity, even the restaurant in the local pub. The only sustenance besides the beer was crisps, so that was our evening meal! There was only one other couple in the pub until this scruffy local came in, asking for discarded cigarette ends, so that he could make himself a cigarette. We're meeting all types here.

Tues. 28th.
An hour's walk away is Tahunanui Beach, so we decamp to there for the day. It is the first real sandy beach we've seen for ages, very pretty with the mountains as the backdrop, and the Tasman Bay gently lapping. At 4:30 lots of sand surfers arrived, and 10 mis. later, so did the wind, so we left in a sand storm, but still a very pleasant day.

Wed. 1st. Mar.
From our lodge we can see the monument that marks the centre of New Zealand. To have a better view, we have to climb the hill but it wasn't too bad. Huffing and puffing near the top, we catch up with a young mum, pushing a 3 year-old, with a baby harnessed to her chest! While we catch our breath, she informs us that she often does this, and usually the toddler walks. - no comment. Nelson is living up to its sunshine image, so we head backl to the pool to soak up the rays.

Thurs. 2nd.
After the disappointment of a scruffy hostel, we book into a highly rated lodge in Havelock, called The Blue Moon. Just a 1 1/2 hour bus journey away, but a different world. A very large bedroom - we could really swing Monza around in here and everywhere is clean. We are told that the tv only shows Nemo, which turns out to be a huge aquarium with beautifully coloured fish - perfect. The owners send us off with a map to a waterfall in the hills at back of the lodge. No surprise, when the path peters out to 8 inches wide with a shear drop to the left of us. We think these Kiwis read our blog, and try to make us suffer for what is written. The waterfall was a trickle, but made worthwhile by the beautiful bird which kept us company on our descent. It was a small fantail amd so cheeky that it was almost touching us as it fluttered around. Sitting around the table for dinner, a young couple decided to go along the same track to see the gloworms. No-one else is energetic enough to accompany them, so we wave them off, joking about them falling down the hillside. They didn't fall, but they did get lost, and it was after midnight before they returned after seeing only 10 gloworms. Glad we passed on that one!

Fri. 3rd.
A lazy day spent sitting out on the decking, with he odd dash in out of the downpours. Normally we have the bedroom heater on of an evening, so the lack of one here leaves us noticing the cold even more.
What Cold are you Thinking!

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