Crossing the Southern Alps and back

April 27

We left Methven and drove north to pick up the road that crosses theSouthern Alps via Arthur’s Pass. We chose this route as it is supposed to be the most scenic crossing and it did not disappoint us. We stopped to take photos and were greeted by a very friendly kea, the only alpine parrot. Neither of us can believe the scenery here. It just keeps getting better which seems impossible.

As we were coming down the mountain we took a short detour to Blackball, a small town where the labor movement started. It was a gold mining town in the 1800’s and a coal mining town until 1964. Now it is famous for its salami so we got to the store 10 minutes before it closed at 2:30 on Saturday.

Onward to Greymouth where theGrey River meets the Tasman Sea. Here I had hoped to shop for some NZ greenstone (jade) but we were surprised to discover that the town was pretty much shut down on a Saturday afternoon.  So we drove on to Hokitika, greenstone country.


After discovering that two of the shops we were looking for had folded Ron said we needed a canon because this town was as deserted as the last. We could have shot off the canon and hit no one. Alas we stumbled onto a co-op of 15 artists and I found what I wanted, a carved jade pendant for me and one for my sister.

We went to a special dinner house about 5 km out of town and had an absolutely fabulous meal. Ron had a salmon dish with a pineapple lime chili salsa and I had duck breast. Our meal came with a side dish of fresh steamed veggies with Hollandaise sauce. Later we worked on our itinerary. We had intentionally left our schedule flexible so that if we decided we wanted to stay longer in a place we could or if we wanted to see something that we hadn’t known about before coming we could add it in. That is what allowed us to add Oamaru and Moeraki boulders.

April 28

Today we drove to the Hokitika Gorge and hiked through the trail. What a magical place NZ is. This gorge is a real gem. It was rainy and overcast but still beautiful. We walked across a suspended bridge. The water in the gorge is turquoise although not as intense when it is overcast. Then we drove to Lake Kaniere. It was so fogged in we could only see about three feet off shore so gave up quickly and headed back to town to get a date scone and Americano, our almost daily ritual. YUM!

Back into the car we headed south. We are on the west coast of the south island. The higher elevations get 15 meters (a meter is 39 inches) of rain a year and the lower elevations get five meters (over 15 feet!). Today it felt like we got a meter. We drove to Franz Joseph Glacier and ate a quick fish and chips lunch then drove to the car park where we could hike to some view points of the glacier. Since it was pouring rain we decided to do two shorter walks and pass on the 1.5 hrs walk. Being from the NW we brought umbrellas and good jackets. The glacier was almost socked in with the mist but it cleared enough for us to see it. Back into the car we drove to Fox Glacier where we checked into another funky hostel. After resting for a while we walked to town a block away and had a simple meal. Since we had not slept well the night before we went to bed early but I couldn’t get to sleep so read until late.

April 29

We chatted over cereal with some people from Lake Hartwell GA, near where I grew up in SC. Then we headed out for Fox Glacier. Today we hiked in about 35 minutes and Ron took lots of photos. Both of these glaciers are melting at an alarming rate. The Glacier has retreated almost 2 Kilometers since 1750 when it was recorded by early explorers.  Near the car park was a small lake with beautiful colors that was formed by the melting of a large iceburg that melted. Today we didn't get rained on but it was overcast and threatened rain. After the storms I heard during the night I thought maybe there was no rain left!

The two towns Franz Joseph and Fox exist solely for tourists. There is nothing in these towns but hostels, motels, restaurants, one small grocery, and services such a helicopter rides to the glacier or guide services to go onto the glaciers.

Afterwards we drove to Matheson Lake, formed by a melted iceberg with a beautiful reflective surface. First we had a great Americano and snack at the café nearby then hiked on the trail to see the lake. Again it was overcast so we couldn’t see the nearby mountains reflected in the lake. The mountains were socked in with fog/mist. We popped in to the gallery next to the café on the way out and got another gift, a lovely carved bone piece for a friend. Most of the bone carving here is done with cattle bone. All over the world many souvenirs are now made in China, even here, so you have to be a discerning shopper if you want a genuine article.  Back to town for gas and groceries and we hit the road to drive further south.

Every trail we have been on is well built and well maintained. When we walk on these nature trails it is likeDisneyland, where everything is perfect except this is even better because it is real. The ferns, trees, undergrowth, fungus, lichen, etc is just spellbinding. Some of the fern fronds are over five feet long. At the car park we found a vehicle with some interesting thoughts on male female relationships.

 This part of the west coast is considered wild. There was not a through highway until 1965! And it wasn't fully paved until 1995! While driving south we stopped at an overlook of the Tasman Sea called Knight's point.  Truly a beautiful view.






We stopped for a picnic lunch and were attacked by sand flies, tiny creatures
the size of a gnat with a fierce bite.  But our reward was a nature walk through Ship Creek swamp. It was magical! The couple we had spoken with at breakfast had told us about the walk. We saw mushrooms numerous times in various stages of decay. It ranged in color from bright electric blue to a soft gray.

The water was still with wonderful reflections. The boardwalk was lovely with curves throughout the walk. They put chicken wire over the boardwalk to keep walkers from slipping on wet boards.  There was also another view of the Tasman Sea

 Back into the car we drove a bit further to our destination, Haast Township. This is another tiny town. Our motel is quite nice and probably the most expensive place we have stayed. We did some laundry and walked to one of the three shops in town. One features greenstone carving/jewelry, one has merino wool products and one has honey. There is a small grocery, a café that closes at 5:00 and one restaurant where we had dinner tonight.  I had lamb shanks and Ron has venison casserole. Our meals came with mashed potatoes. There was a salad bar with two salads: a green salad and a slaw. There was a hot table with four vegetables: French fries, roasted potatoes, peas, and squash. They must really like potatoes here. Fish and chips are everywhere. We had heard that sticky date pudding was a national dessert so we decided to try it. OMG it was divine. It was a small steamed pudding, quite moist with homemade caramel sauce, a scoop of ice cream and an equal amount of whipped cream. We shared the dessert and felt like we were in a sugar coma afterwards.
Is this what made the food so good?