Adventures in the South


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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island
January 7th 2007
Published: January 8th 2007
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**We know we’ve been quite out of touch the past 2 or 3 weeks. We have driven so much and seen so many amazing sites, we didn’t really have much time to sit at a café and write! Now that we’ve arrived in Wellington, we have the chance to use some free internet at Cara & Scott’s place. We’ve decided to split this into 2 entries because it got so long, so this first one goes until New Years. Happy reading…




Arriving in Christchurch, NZ


Dec 19th - We said our goodbyes to Betsy and took a taxi from the Mac’s garage to the Cairns Airport. As it turned out, it was a really good thing that we showed up a little early. Unbeknownst to us, New Zealand requires a return ticket to enter the country, something we didn’t have as we had only booked a one-way flight so that our return date could be flexible. No such luck. We were able to call the flight centre and book a return flight for January 30th, and then we were rushed through the check-in line so we could board the plane.

Dec 20th - We arrived in
KeaKeaKea

NZ's only alpine parrot
Christchurch at 12:40am, and were met by Andy, the husband of Suzanne, who is the sister of Jeanette, a childhood friend of Carolyn. We were very grateful to have someone meet us at this late hour, as it meant no thinking on our part! (Thanks again, guys!) The next day we got to experience some of New Zealand’s extraordinary summer - horizontal rain that at some points looked more like sleet! We were more than happy to just laze around the house and get to know Andy and Suzanne a little better, and their two beautiful children, Sam (3) and Tessa (6wks). We went for a scenic drive around Summit Road, a mountainous loop that overlooks Christchurch from the South. It was quite overcast however, so the views of the mountains to the northwest were obscured from view. We ended up accidentally deleting the pictures that we had taken from this drive, so you will have to just take my word that it was stunning.

Dec 21st - Andy and Suzanne gave lent us their second car, and we drove into the city centre. It was quite rainy again, and even with our sweaters and rain jackets, we were
Danger!Danger!Danger!

From this point, rockfalls not just MAY occur, they are LIKELY to occur!
a little chilly! We were probably the happiest people walking around as this was a great change to the oppressive heat in Cairns that you just couldn’t get away from! We got a new phone number and withdrew some New Zealand money. We finished some of our Christmas shopping and then went to the Antarctic Centre. It seems Christchurch is the most popular departure hub for expeditions leaving for the Antarctic. We buffed up our knowledge of penguins and climate change research, and even experienced an Antarctic windstorm in a snow-packed room with large fans. We were thankful for the winter jackets we were given because it was freezing!

We visited a micro-brewery with Andy and several of his friends in the evening and sampled a few of the local brews. The Emerson is highly recommended by both of us!

Arthur’s Pass


Dec 22nd - We got up early the next morning and made some sandwiches to bring with us on our trip to Arthur’s Pass. Andy said it had been a while since he had been out there, and that it wasn’t on the itinerary planned by our friends (Cara and Scott), for our tour of the
First snow in 9 months!First snow in 9 months!First snow in 9 months!

Joe made it hi mission to touch the snow, what a trek! He and Andy only got a little wet with a foot dropped in the freezing cold river!
South Island. One of his friends, Oscar, another Canadian going to teacher’s college in CHCH, came with us and we set off for the mountains! Andy is a Kiwi (born in NZ) and a bit of a bird buff, so it was great to have him as our tour guide (not to mention that he is a nice guy!). The views of the mountains were visible well before we arrived there, jutting up into the clouds with snow-capped peaks! We hiked up to Devil’s Punchbowl, a waterfall visible from the highway. Although it was only a 30min return hike, it was almost all stairs, so we were a little winded upon reaching the top. We didn’t get a great picture of it because the sun was rising behind it, making for poor lighting. We then hiked to Temple Basin(?), and followed a path up a river that had once been a glacier in the last ice-age. There were many stepping stones that made for lots of tricky jumping, but we made it with only Andy and I getting a wet foot - I had been trying to help Carolyn and waited for too long on a tippy stone! I really wanted to get up to the snow, tucked into a crevice we could see from the base of the river. It was well worth the effort, although was perhaps a little risky with all the precariously balanced rocks rising well above us! It was a full day of hiking, and was our first beautiful day in NZ (20C) - we all got a little too much sun!
Our last night in CHCH, we let Andy & Suz relax, and made them a delicious sushi feast! While we ate Sam, enlightened us on the facts of Hot Wheels and pterodactyls!

Kaikoura


Dec 23rd - Andy dropped us off at the bus station at 7:15am, and we slept a good chunk of the 2.5hour ride to Kaikoura. The driver told us lots of interesting facts along the way, mostly about farming and wineries in the area. We met Cara and Scott here, who had taken the night ferry from Wellington and drove down. We checked into the A1 camp ground and set up the tent and made some lunch. We drove down to the lookout and walked over the rocks out to where seals were sunning themselves. Some of them were
Hot Springs in Hanmer SpringsHot Springs in Hanmer SpringsHot Springs in Hanmer Springs

We enjoyed a couple hours relaxing in all the different pools. This one was the hottest at 40C, the only problem was it reeked of sulfur!
huge - and there are signs saying not to get closer than 10m. There was one buried in the rocks that we almost stepped on! It was still quite overcast, so we didn’t get a great view, but one of the signs there claimed that it was the best view in NZ! After some of the views we saw later, I found this hard to believe. I read in the Lonely Planet that the continental shelf just out from Kaikoura is very narrow and that only a little ways out, the ocean floor reaches depths of 6000m! The deepest Carolyn and I have been is 30m!

Christmas in Hanmer Springs


Dec 24th - We left Kaikoura in the morning after packing up and took the scenic route inland along the mountains to Hanmer Springs. The mountains run almost directly through the centre NZ from North to South, and create very different weather on either side of the country. The locals joke that the weather is different 3 blocks away, and that if it is raining, a short drive can usually take you into the sun!

The road snaked back and forth and we crossed countless one lane bridges.
Christmas Eve sunsetChristmas Eve sunsetChristmas Eve sunset

This wasn't until almost 10pm! What a beautiful view!
It was about a 5hr drive until we finally pulled into Hanmer Springs and we were all quite nauseated. We checked into our bach (what they call a cottage here), and it was very nice! There were 3 bedrooms, full kitchen, dining and living areas, fireplace, and patio. It was very luxurious for our first ever Christmas not with family.

Hanmer Springs is a ski town in the winter, and has a thermal pool spa which is popular all year round. We went into the pools for a couple hours in the afternoon. Some are natural, geo-thermally heated and have very strong sulfur odours, while others are simply large hot-tubs! Very therapeutic! The pools ranged in temperatures from 26-40C.

After our relaxing dip, we made a few phone calls home, but because Hanmer Springs is a small town our call rate was $0.57/min, so we couldn’t talk for long. I missed my family Christmas party back home, as it was on the 23rd, so only got to talk to Ben and Sarah. We did all of our Christmas food shopping, as all of the stores were closed Christmas and Boxing Day.

We had a glass of Champagne
Christmas Eve ChampagneChristmas Eve ChampagneChristmas Eve Champagne

I popped the cork for this one, and it shot unexpectedly straight up to the ceiling! Good thing I didn't break anything!
on Christmas Eve and watched the movie Elf. We appreciate how late it gets dark here, and got to watch the sun set over the mountains and hills of sheep at 10pm! There was a little Christmas tree that was perfect for all the presents that had been sent to us from back home! We watched all the Christmas song favourites and enjoyed a roaring fire because it was quite chilly outside. Almost felt like home.

Dec 25th - We slept in a bit, had pancakes for breakfast, then moved the tree with all the presents outside onto the patio. We all got heaps of gifts, all of which were unexpected, and we are very appreciative for! Sarah and Adam sent us a DVD of my family’s Christmas Party and the Santa Clause Parade in Milton. We were able to watch it there at the bach, and there were more than a few times that Carolyn’s eyes welled up. It’ll be a blue, blue Christmas without you…..

After opening all of our presents, we decided to go for a hike up Conical Hill, which overlooks the town. There were huge Douglas Fir trees and the path wound back
O Christmas Tree...O Christmas Tree...O Christmas Tree...

We were surprised to find a small tree at the bach, so we were happy to put our gifts underneath! Thanks for all the presents from Canada and Korea guys!
and forth to the lookout. We could see the bach from the top, and had almost a 360degree view of the landscapes around us! It was quite warm, mid-20’s, but with the scorching sun, it feels warmer! We had to keep reminding ourselves that it was Christmas!

Scott and I played Petanque, a game similar to bocce ball but with steel lawn balls, while the girls prepared our Christmas feast. It was fabulous! We had turkey, potatoes, stuffing, corn, and gravy. None of us had cooked a turkey before, but it turned out really well! We had to get a little creative in thickening the gravy without flour, substituting pancake mix. It was surprisingly good. We played cards and a board game called Sequence until we were ready for bed. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!

Lewis Pass and Camping at Nelson Lakes


Dec 26th - We cleaned up the bach and returned the keys the next morning and left Hanmer Springs around noon. We headed towards Lewis Pass, where the road cuts over the Southern Alps. There were a number of waterfalls and scenic stops along the way, and we stopped at most of
Maruia FallsMaruia FallsMaruia Falls

These falls were created from an earthquake and the plates shifting!
them because we weren’t really in much of a hurry. There are waterfalls visible from the road all through the mountains, and our senses were not yet dulled to their beauty. We passed Mariua Falls, and learned that it used to be a river until an earthquake instantaneously caused the 20’rift in the river bed! NZ sits over the junction of many large plates and earthquakes are very common - although ones with Rictor magnitudes in the high 7’s or low 8’s seem to happen about every 30 years. I think they are about due….only 3 more weeks until we head back to OZ!

We arrived at the Nelson Lake DOC (Department of Conservation) site around 5pm and set up the tent in swarms of sand flies! They were unbelievable! It wasn’t cold out, but all of us immediately put on pants and long sleeves. Cara found us some home brew repellent that smelled a lot like cleaning product, but did seem to help. We played a few card games and ate dinner with a mosquito coil burning smoke all around us! We walked down to Lake Rotoroa, about 500m from our site, and Scott and I went for a swim. Actually it was more of a jump in and jump out, as the water was about 14 degrees. This is something we learned along the rest of the trip - most of the lakes are glacier fed, or run-off from the snow melting in the mountains, and they tend to be quite freezing! Some were just warm enough to stay in for a few minutes while others it was painful to even dip your leg into!

We hid out in the tent in an effort to escape the sand flies, but getting in and out had let several hundred into the tent - they were everywhere! We spent a while killing as many as we could, not wanting to get feasted on while we were asleep! They seem to be attracted to the light, so all the ones on the outside of the tent keep jumping against it, trying to get inside! It honestly sounded like it was raining!

Dec 27th - We woke up to the sound of real rain against the tent, except we didn’t think that it was rain - just more sand flies! None of us wanted to get out of the tent to get eaten alive as it sounded like the flies were getting more and more angry! Packing up in the rain is never fun, but it was made especially bad with all the sand flies still biting us, and our itchy bites from the night before causing us loads of grief! The sound of scratching became pretty common over the next few days!

We drove into Nelson and were going to stop at Mac’s Brewery for a tour, but it happened to be closed. It was still raining, and after lunch at Subway, we headed around the Tasman Bay to Kaiteriteri.

Kaiteriteri


We arrived in Kaiteriteri, a small beach and vacation town on the North shores of the South Island, and checked into the Kaiteri Lodge. It was very relaxing to have a warm shower and get into dry clothes! The rain had just cleared up as we pulled into the town, which was also quite welcome! We set up the tent and gear behind the lodge to dry it out a little.

Cara and Scott had organized staying in Kaiteriteri with two Kiwi friends (Dean and Erika) last August, and Carolyn and I decided to join them only a couple months ago, so were lucky to get a room, as the town is very busy over New Years, most people booking the year before!

Dec 28th - Dean’s parents also stay in Kaiteriteri each NY’s and offered to take us out in their boat to Stillwell Bay, a part of the Abel Tasman National Park. The 6 of us, Dean’s parents and younger sister, and a few of their friends hung out at the beach there all afternoon. We tossed the rugby ball and Frisbee, and even got to water-ski in the Tasman Bay. It is a bit different skiing in the salt water than in the fresh back home because it is more buoyant, and it is quite a bit choppier! This was a very fun day, and we slept really well that night! It really is amazing how the sun drains you of energy!

Day trip to Farewell Spit


Dec 29th - We decided to take a day trip out to Farewell Spit, a large sand dune that stretches for miles out into the Tasman Bay at the very top of the South Island, north of Abel Tasman National park. We stopped at a few places along the way as there is quite a bit to see up this way. We stopped at Ngarua Caves, but elected not to take the $13 tour. We then made our way to Harwood’s Hole, the largest hole in the Southern Hemisphere. It was formed by a river that eventually worked it’s way underground as it dissolved the rock. The hole is 70m across and 400m deep. It wasn’t possible to get a good view deep into the hole because of many tree’s growing out of the cliffs, but it is possible to abseil, and accidents have occurred here in the past. New Zealand has a big rave scene over New Years that has been known as The Gathering over the past few years and this year was called the Uprising. The big one in the Nelson area is not too far from Harwood’s Hole and we saw many of them setting up large tents and tipis. It ended up pouring rain and was very chilly on New Year’s, so everyone up there probably froze!

We then drove to Wharariki beach, that was more of a desert than a beach! It was incredibly windy!
Fairwell SpitFairwell SpitFairwell Spit

To get out to the end of this, you'd need to take a 4x4!
We struggled our way out to the end of the sand dune at the beach and got to see several large rock formations at the end. Walking in the sand was a little treacherous - sometimes it was stable and other times you would sink almost up to your knee! We then drove up to a lookout that overlooked the spit, our most northerly destination on the south island! It wasn’t possible to see the extent of the spit as it disappeared 26km into the horizon, but you could tell it was massive! We ate lunch in Takaka then started the drive back to Kaiteriteri.

On the way back, we stopped at Te Waikoropupu Springs, or ‘Pupu’ springs as it is normally referred to. These are the largest freshwater springs in NZ and reputedly the clearest in the world! 14m3 of water is thrown up from an underground river. Up until last year you could SCUBA dive here, but because of a didymo scare, this is no longer allowed. The didymo is a non-native algae that takes over, and conservationists are worried about its introduction in the area. We spoke with people who had gone in and they said
Pupu SpringsPupu SpringsPupu Springs

Although this pool looks shallow - it is actually 6.9m deep!
if two people were at opposite sides of the pools (60’) it looked like they could reach out and touch each other! There was an underwater periscope that you could view through under the water and see the bank on the other side! This was a very worthwhile stop!

It was quite late when we pulled into Kaiteriteri, and after a walk along the beach and through the nice part of town, we crawled into bed.

Dec 30th - We sat on the beach for several hours in the early afternoon. There was a promotional booth for BP (British Petroleum), and they handed out free Frisbees and kites. I definitely had the highest kite on the beach after I tied 4 of the strings together and unwound all of it! And it still would have gone higher but we had to go for lunch. Dean and I buried the string in the sand with it 100m in the air, and left it hoping it would stay up. We could see it from the lodge and it finally did let go but it wasn’t clear whether someone tampered with it. We booked a water taxi for the next day
Split Apple RockSplit Apple RockSplit Apple Rock

There is a whole Mauri legend about how and why this rock came to be!
to take us up into the Abel Tasman park so we could hike some of the trails up there.

We then did a bit of a day trip out to Riwaka Resurgence pools. The top pool was the entrance to an underwater river, and with a snorkel and mask you can crawl through a bunch of underwater caves. Dean and Scott had wet suits, but even with these the water was unbearable. I didn’t venture in myself as it looked quite painful. We made our way back to Kaiteriteri and after dinner relaxed in the trailer park with Dean’s parents at their site.

Hiking the Able Tasman Trail


Dec 31st - We took the water taxi at 9am and it dropped Cara, Scott, Carolyn and I off at Bark Bay, a boat ride of just under an hour. We stopped at Split Apple Rock during the boat ride, a rock split right down the middle! From Bark Bay, we hiked South to Torrent Bay which took almost 2 hours. Some of the views along this trail are fabulous. It was amazing to see how much the foliage changed along the way, from very wet ferns and thick rainforest,
Swinge Bridge between Bark Bay and Torrent BaySwinge Bridge between Bark Bay and Torrent BaySwinge Bridge between Bark Bay and Torrent Bay

5 people allowed on at one time. Joe inspected it and then proceeded to jump up and down on it once in the middle!
to drier clearings of tall trees. The trail follows the waters edge and there were many views of the small bays and inlets along the way. The weather was perfect for hiking a cool 20C but sunny.

We made it around to Torrent Bay and enjoyed lunch. Cara, Scott and Carolyn walked a mile to the toilets, not realizing how far they were from the beach. After lunch, Cara and Scott decided to cut across the low tide track so save a bit of walking as her ankle was sore. I wasn’t too keen on taking my shoes on and off, so Carolyn and I took the inland path, saying we would meet up with them later. About halfway around this path that led to Anchorage, there is a path that leads up to Cleopatra’s Pools, small pools and waterfalls in a river. We were surprised that Cara and Scott were not already there when we arrived, and later learned that their route took them an additional 30minutes! I am sure Cara would have preferred to take the inland route had we known! The pools were very nice and I went swimming even though the water was freezing! There
Anchorage BayAnchorage BayAnchorage Bay

Where we were picked up by the water taxi
was a natural slide in the rocks and I went down it a number of times! Hopefully the video works on this site.

We then hiked around to Anchorage Bay, where we hung out on the beach until our boat picked us up at 4pm. This was one of our favourite days in Kaiteriteri.

New Year’s Eve!


We had showers and then ate fish and chips at one of the local restaurants. We ate way too much and were all really stuffed. This caught up to us later when the guys tried to complete the century club, as we just didn’t have the room! We were in the camping park with Dean’s brother Anthony and wife, and the 8 of us sat around until about 11:30 when we joined the party at their parent’s campsite. The entire park was celebrating all around us with firecrackers and lights even though it was quite chilly (12C) and rainy. It was a little strange celebrating the turn of 2007, knowing that at home they were still making plans with it almost a day away! Carolyn sent a few texts home, and we had our big countdown! 5-4-3-2-1…. Happy New Years! We
New Years Countdown!New Years Countdown!New Years Countdown!

5-4-3-2-1... Happy New Years! From Left to Right - Erika, Cara, Dean, Joe, Me, Scott
were thankful to be spending it with old friends and new friends. We hope that everyone back home and overseas also had a great New Years!

Jan 1st - Carolyn recovered the next morning and I read and did laundry. We had a farewell dinner with Dean’s family and their friends at the Shoreline Kaiteriteri, a very fine restaurant. I got to try some of the local scallops and bluenose fish, while Carolyn stuck to lasagna, which ended up being a little different in the end. All in all it was a very lazy day, and a good way to end our stay in beautiful Kaiteriteri.

Because this is so long we have split this into two journals - see next entry tomorrow for continuation….



Additional photos below
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Lookout atop Conical HillLookout atop Conical Hill
Lookout atop Conical Hill

Our Christmas day hike. If you look really closely, you can find our bach - the second house from the right.


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