New Zealand - Wk 2

---

NZ – Wk 2



Mon 16^th Jan 2012 Chilly/ Bright with Sunshine Max 16 Deg



Leaving Possum Lodge in Manapouri this morning. After a quick breakfast and chat to our German neiboughers we packed the car and got away at are usual departure time of 10.00. We did a short drive up the hill to the small ferry / dinghy crossing at Pearl Harbour where we are to take the ferry to the opposite shore and tackle the 8 km circular trek up Flat Mountain, 1768mts. It was now a glorious day with warm sunshine beating through the canopy of NZ Beach trees as we walked.



Unlike our fellow trekkers we tackled the route arse about face taking in the beach views first then tackling the steady but slightly longer climb up to the summit point. The other option was to take the flat path through the woodland then hit a shorter but much steeper climb to the top, as we descended this way I’m glad we went for the arse about route which was easier. Either way we all met each other within a few hundred mts of each other at the summit, the rest of the time we had to ourselves and the tame black Robbins we met along the way.



On reaching the top the views where stunning and well worth the lunch stop to admire them and take pictures, it did though feel quite chilly with the breeze sweeping across the valley from the snow capped Mt Titiroa beyond.



The decent was only an 1 ½ and once again we all met again at the ferry pier for our trip back to Pearl Harbour. We celebrated our hike with a Long Black and Flat White Coffee at the cafe overlooking the lake before driving to the town of Te Anau, known as the gateway to Milford and Doubtful Sounds. After a walk in town buying Sue some walking shoe’s & wet weather jacket to replace her rather inadequate flip flops and summer clothing we made camp on the outskirts of town. The afternoon was spent watching culled Deer being flown across Lake Te Anau suspended underneath helicopters. Apparently Deer are treated as vermin and have to be strictly controlled otherwise they can decimate the forests and woodland, it’s also a good and cheap way of filling you and your neighbours freezers.



Tuesday 17^th Jan 1.204.5k Bright and Sunny



Up and out by ten calling into town to top up the petrol tank then driving out to Milford Sound and a boat trip around the Sound at 15.45. The drive was 120k long but full of stunning scenery along the way. We took our time frequently stopping to absorb the views, everyone more spectacular the further we went. Our last stop before Milford was just prior to entering the Homer Tunnel where we came across our first wild Kia Birds. These are Parrot like, extremely comical but can be very destructive, eating windscreen wiper rubbers, windscreen surround rubbers ect so a careful eye was kept on our hire car.



We arrived at Milford expecting it to be touristy but where pleasantly surprised to find one cafe / booking office and a ferry pier which were to obtrusive. We joined the crew aboard the Lady Bowen and set of along one side of the lake, out into the Tasman Sea and returned along the opposite shore. I could go on for hours about the sheer beauty and splendour of the Sound so i shall let the photo’s do the talking. We were extremely lucky to visit on a near perfect day, bright sunny and clear.



We again took our time driving back to camp stopping a number of times at places such as The Mirror Lake, The Chasm, Earl Mountain and Pops view all of which were equally stunning.



Wednesday 18^th January 1.443.5 k Breezy / Sunny



Time to move on again, this time a fairly short hop to Queenstown, the adventure capital of NZ.



Again we got away at around ten and picked up route 94 driving through grazing land for Deer, Cattle and of course Sheep. The land also had great tufts of a hardy grass that in the stiff breeze resembled a rough sea. We turned onto the route 97 at Mossburn and shortly after onto the route 6 at Five Rivers. Nice sounding places but very small. A coffee stop was had at Garvie Mountain where we watched local farm contractors spray the entire valley via small plane.



The last 40 k took us through Wine country and past the track of the Steam Train Kingston Flyer before running along the bank of Lake Wakatipu and the Remakables Mountain Range.



Queenstown looked busy so we pushed on to a DOC camp site in the wilderness nr Lake Sylvan just north of Routburn at the N/W end of the lake. This was camping back to basics with one loo to share and fresh water from the mountain river. After making camp we set of for a two hour hike to find the lake, being rewarded with meeting more Black Robins which were so tame and more picture postcard views of the lake.



After a simple supper of soup we walked the river bank and again were rewarded with more wildlife by meeting a pair of NZ Falcons who were happily perched in a tree about 15’ up. We were able to sit almost under them and spent a good 20mins in their presence. Us watching them and them watching us, a mutual respect really. As i mentioned before there is something odd with Birds over here in NZ as they appear so tame, not in the least bothered by us humans. An Ornithologists paradise. The rest of the evening was happily spent reading while sitting alongside the river in the late sunshine, bliss.



Our first DOC camp night was quite peaceful and we awoke to a mixture of sun and showers plus a fresh breeze.



Thursday 19^th January - 1.695.7 kl Sun / Showers / Breezy.



We packed up and made our way back along the North side of Lake Wakatipu to Queenstown. An interesting journey of approx 50k. Leaving the site we have to drive over unmade roads for 10k then across a couple of single lane Bridges before we find tarmac. Under the bridges sits the Dart River which at this time of year is just a trickle with the majority of the river bed exposed to the drying sun and stiff breeze, this produces enormous white dust clouds that envelope the small community’s of Kinloch and Glenorchy and the farm land around. Can’t be too healthy for the locals or the air filter on the car.



We arrived in Q/town and pitched up at a site in the centre set just below the Skyline cable car system. A bit pricy this place at $40.00 a night but i guess we are in town. We do feel a bit hemmed in being surrounded by gleaming campervans with our little tent pitched amongst them.



We continued our ritual of a look around town and the lake side before heading up the hill to the Skyline cable car. Here we booked a return ticket plus three goes on the Skyline Luge at the top. The Luge is simply plastic trays with wheels and steering bar / brake that you race down a concrete track at breakneck speed. Before that we rode the Skyline up the sheer rock face, all ok until the last 50 y toes curled, must be an age thing!. Five minutes later they curl again as we walk out onto the observation deck overlooking Q/town and the lake and the Bungee jump platform just below. Why do people want to do that, totally beyond me? This Bungee was a swing as well so you fall 50 mts then swings around in 45 deg arks, totally mad if you ask me.



20 minutes of watching my toes straightened enough to walk the loop footpath above; this took us out to a view point overlooking Bobs Mountain. Bob i understand was a Gold trail pioneer who was the first to open up the trail between Q/town and the Gold town of Arrowtown. Must have been a tough guy. It was now time for the Luge, first we had to take the scenic track, compulsory for first time users. A close race with Sue winning due to a weight advantage. The second and third races were on the fast track with me pipping Sue due to some outstanding driving mostly on two wheels and the final race Sue won again due to a bit of gamesmanship at the start, she went before i said go! Cheat. Great entertainment and why has the UK not got a track i wonder, could be an opportunity here. The trip back down was better than i thought and after afternoon tea back at camp we walked down to the lake side and wandered along to Q/town Gardens which was very English, with Rose gardens, Bowling Green and Frisbee Golf. After walking the circuit we bought some Fish n Chips and watched the sun set over the lake and mountains. Amazing cloud formations and colours, i hope the pictures do it justice. All in all Q/town is a good place to visit with a nice blend of thrill and tranquillity.



Friday 20 January - 1.769.7 k Sunny / warm



After some route planning we have decided to head on for Mount Cook over the next couple of days before tackling Arthurs Pass and the rest of the West coast and Glaciers. Today we are heading today for an overnight stop at Cromwell calling in on the way at Arrowtown, a past Gold mining community. A/town was very pretty with lots of small Tea shops and a great museum depicting the life of the Gold prospectors and the Chinese digger’s community.



We arrived in Cromwell which appears to be the Stone Fruit capital of NZ with many farms lining the main route selling Peaches, Cherries and Apricots. We couldn’t resist and bought a huge mixed basket for $10.00. The Cherries where huge, far bigger than anything in the UK and far tastier. Only a day or two before was the annual Cherry pip spitting completion and the Cherry Pie eating comp.



We called in to the Cromwell Tourist Info and where directed to a camp site in nearby Bannockburn, a community of perhaps 20 houses, one Motel and a shop. The site was ok and cheap, you just got the feeling the locals were a bit on the Hillbilly side. As we drove out later looking for a walk we pasted the locals sitting beside the road cheering a procession of four vintage cars, the oldest of which was a Ford Escort Estate. Now that was strange.



Saturday 21 January - 1.883.7 k Sunny and Hot. Hooray



Today we are bound for the town of Twizel which sits about an hour short of M.Cook. The route took us back through Cromwell and along the banks of L.Dunston before passing through Tarris and out into the hilly/ Desert like Lindis Valley and Lindis Pass. On the way out we had to negotiate the cycling stage of the annual Wanaka Triathlon which according to the press is one of the top ten Tri events in the world.



After our obligatory Coffee stop on route we were on our way into Omarama when we came across our first road wreck of the trip. An unfortunate 4x4 had come to grief and rolled of the road with the occupants needing the Air Ambulance and Fire service. Now to give you an idea of the traffic flow on the road we were stationary for approx ¾ hour and the quay over this time amounted to 50 or so vehicles. It is not unusual to drive for 15/20 mins before seeing another car or c/van. If this accident had taken place late in the evening who knows how long help would have taken to arrive. The morale of this story is drive carefully and concentrate.



Omarama was not very inspiring; its claim to fame was that it was the Gliding Capital of NZ. This would have proved expensive so we carried on to Twizel. The 30k road between the two towns was as straight as straight can be and full of 4x4s towing speed boats bound for the lakes nearby.



We pulled up at the Lake Ruataniwha Holiday Park and pitched the tent again on some parched looking grass and stone, using rocks as tent pegs. The site is full of long term NZ School holiday campers all set up with huge tents and accessories including the household fridge and freezer standing next to the BBQ. How set up is that. Bit of a chilled afternoon reading then a short drive into town for a look around. After a look we both struggled to find anything of interest around the centre of town apart from a statue of a bird called the Black Stilt. Twizel is not a place i would recommend for sightseeing.



Sunday 22^nd January 2.053.9 k Chilly / Bright



Up and away fairly early today for the assault on Mount Cook, NZs highest mountain. Another top up of fuel and we were away travelling out along the route 80 past the Pukati Flats conservation area and across the Pukati Canal which links L.Ohau with L.Pukati and L.Benmore. We than ran alongside L.Pukaki on our right and the Ben Ohau Range on our left for approx 40 kl. All the time we were treated to glimpses of the M.Cook range in the distance with a fairly heavy coating of snow just to make it stand out. We left the lake behind and came out next to the Tasman river, at the moment very small and narrow, i would guess in full flow in the winter its probably 2/3 kl across.



Before we know it we are in the shadow of M.Cook pulling up at the large Hotel and the Edmund Hilary exhibition area. The mountain did not disappoint nor did the weather, still sunny and bright with a little cloud covering the peaks. After a look round the visitor centre and a short walk we made our way back about 2 kl to a turning that took us a further 8 kl into the Tasman Valley to view the Tasman Glacier. Another energetic hike up half a mountain revealed another stunning view out across the melted glacier lake to the frozen glacier in the distance. It’s a job to describe how vast the area in front of us was but at a guess about the complete length of the R.Orwell and about 2/3 kl wide with the frozen depth 10/15 meters. Quite something.



It was time to hit the road again, this time heading for the town of Geraldine about 1 ½ hrs away towards the east coast and find a motel for the night along with good internet access for our Sunday Skype calls. Our route took us through some pretty parched areas of Mackenzie country passing Lake Tekapo, Burkes Pass, Fairlie then crossing into the Canterbury region and everything suddenly becomes green and lush, very similar to Devon and Cornwall.



At last we pitch up in Geraldine and are warmly welcomed at a very nice mid town Motel. A little slice of luxury after are past nights in the tent is most welcome.



That brings me right up to date for this week, it is now 17.45 in NZ and 05.45 in the UK, you are soon to have your Sunday AM Fry up, we are off out for perhaps Blue Cod or Butter Fish and Chips.



Plans for next week are to make our way back across to the West coast via Arthurs Pass, view the Franz Josef / Fox Glacier then make our way up to Greymouth then crossing East again to Springs Junction and Hammer Springs before hitting Kaikoura for some Whale watching, hopefully.



Bye for now,



J

---