Blog #21 – The West Coast & Nelson – December 17 – 19, 2010 –

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Blog #21 – The West Coast & Nelson – December 17 – 19, 2010 –
We could have spent a lot more time exploring the Fjordlands, and going up to Queenstown area and hiking, but time did not permit. It never failed to surprise me how often, in a relatively small country, we had to drive past unique tourist destinations for lack of time. As a tourist, it was convenient and efficient to drive for only one hour and have completely new scenery to admire; a bit of a contrast to northern BC and the Yukon when at times the same beautiful scenery extends for days at a time!

Once we had moved Emily and her belongings out of her flat (although she brought home very few NZ treasures and NO rocks) and acquired Rachel and her luggage (although she did excellent minimalist packing), the hatch back of the station wagon would no longer suffice to hold our cargo. We bought some rope, blue tarps, duct tape, and with these and two yellow pack covers, Jim stashed part of the load on the roof racks. However, as we headed north and the day unfolded, not even superiour packing could keep the goods dry. The day started overcast but clear enough to admire interesting stone walls. The area around Lake Wakatipu south of Queenstown, with its highish hills, steep inclines, deep moutain lakes, orchards and vinyards, reminded us of the Okanagan. As we continued towards Haast, the clouds rolled in…and down….and the rain began. Picture taking was limited to shooting through the rain spattered glass. The distinction between waterfalls pouring down beside the road in a picturesque fashion, and the waterfalls pouring over the road began to diminish. By the time we reached Franz Josef glacier the rain had become a torrential downpour, all the campers had moved inside and we got the last 4 backpackers beds in the town. We did not walk 30 minutes through the flood to see the glacier.

The next morning things looked a bit cheerier: the rain had abated, a scenic display reminded us that despite the weather, Christmas was just around the corner AND we found a French Bakery as we drove north through Hokitika. The weather continued to improve so we had two excellent side trips. The first was at Punakaiki in Paparoa National Park where we saw amazing geological formations called The Pancake Rocks. After a walk and photo sessison we continued northward to the farthest northerly point on our West Coast journey called to Tauranga Bay, near Cape Foulwind. Both of these areas are a few miles west of Westport, where the sad mining disaster occurred in November. Jim headed out on the beach while Emily, Rachel and Carole took the walkway along the top of the rocks to see the Tauranga Bay Seal Colony of females and their new pups. Test question: how many seals can you see in the photo? It was enthralling to observe the seals coming and going from the tidal pools, sunning themselves and their pups, occasionally defending the pups from other seals, hoisting themselves over the rocks with more alacrity than I would have imagined. (I count seven seals.)

Late on the 18th we arrived in Nelson, and added Tiane, who had flown over from Melbourne to join us for a week. She is an Australian who was on exchange to Dalhousie when Emily originally met her. The rain continued sporadically, and for a couple of days we lounged around Nelson, doing puzzles, reading, shopping when it rained, and walking when it sunned. On the Sunday evening we attended a beautiful service of Nine Lessons and Carols at the Nelson Cathedral. The music was very ambitious; the church choir consisted of about 30 individuals from 10 year old choristors to adult singers, and it was extremely enjoyable. I have always liked hearing the formal Cathedral tradition music on CD’s (well…actually LP’s originally) and it was exciting to see it live. The cathedral itself is of an art deco style, and rather a contrast to the traditional look of the gothic styled Christchurch Cathedral that we had attended a few weeks previously. After church at 8 pm we could scarcely find a restaurant that was open, Nelson is not wild with night life. We finally found a Thai restaurant, enjoyed a good meal, and went home. Next morning – up and packed and off to the Golden Bay!

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Comments

[Sister]

Five!
I see five seals. I too am behind on your blog. Are you home yet?!