Happy birthday Auckland! Yay for the long weekend! I had already planned a trip a while ago to do hikes in South Island during Auckland anniversary which fell on the end of January. So, leaving from work I went straight to airport and just over an hour later I arrived at Christchurch airport. I then picked up my car rental and off I went to Arthur's Pass, a high country in the Southern Alps that is sandwiched between Canterbury and the West Coast. Just under two hours drive cruising through the beautiful mountain ranges, I arrived at my backpackers called YHA Mountain House. After settled in and got to know my dorm roommates, I went to bed. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep very well that night. Reason being, I was excited with the hike I wanted to do the next day!
 |
| View from walking tracks |
 |
| Arthur's Pass National Park |
When the morning came, I quickly had my breakfast, packed my lunch and headed to the information centre to find out about the weather condition and detailed track information. I had one full day here so I decided to do what it's called the Grand Tour. It's basically a combination of few walking tracks around Arthur's Pass which offer diverse landscape around the National Park. One time you could be walking through moss covered trees, then another track took you to an open grass that was so barren with valleys around, then side track leading to a misty Devil's Punchbowl Falls and then scenic meadows with backdrop of snow-capped mountain of Mt Rolleston that sits over 2000m above sea level. This walk ranging between 4 to 6 hours. It is heaven for nature photography so I took my time as I was stopping between tracks for photo opportunities! The scenery was quite enticing for sure and with the mint weather, it was just great combo! It was truly an effortless beauty. I just felt so bliss and peaceful to be in the wilderness, just taking all in and listened to the mother nature sounds around me and smelling the fresh air, drinking cold water from clear blue river that spread around the tracks. What a refreshment to quench my thirst! If you don't have much time in Arthur's Pass, this walk is highly recommended.
 |
| Mt Rolleston |
 |
| Devil's Punchbowl Falls |
The next early morning, after having the most important meal of the day, I left Arthur's Pass and made my way to the West Coast. About 10 mins after leaving the national park, I stopped at Otira Viaduct Lookout which is a good spot to get birds eye view of Otira Valley and this place is also known as Kea's playground. They are the only mountain parrots in the world and are known for their intelligence and ability to survive the harsh environment around Southern Alps of New Zealand. This was one of my reasons to visit Arthur's Pass, to see them in the wild. As I pulled up my car to the car park, three of them started to approach. Two of them went straight to the rubber covered radio antenna on top of my car and the other one was curious with the tyre. Despite the cold, I sat on the asphalt floor for a while and watching their behaviour, such interesting birds! Another fact is that they are quite cheeky, they are known to take food from people down at a cafe in the national park, there's actually signs posted at the cafe windows that says 'No refund is given if your food is taken by Kea' Yes, you've been warned!
 |
| Curious Kea |
 |
| Cheeky Kea |
After spending time with native birds, I continued driving along highway 73. It was a misty morning and fog just covering the road, thick enough that I felt like driving to a cloud. So for about half hour the traffic has slowed down to around 40km/hour and motorists took more precautions when driving to the conditions. Finally the fog faded away, I was glad to accelerate back to the normal speed and enjoying the postcard perfect view of mountain ranges around me. Approaching the West Coast, I did tiki tour down to Hokitika Gorge. The walk here was quite short, through the bush and crossing the swing bridge that was built above turquoise looking river. The colour of the water was gorgeous! It was mix of rock flour, melted glacier ice and river water. The river is always changing apparently depending on the weather and how much rock flour has been carried down. So it's not always turquoise looking, at times it looks crystal clear but it can also look muddy grey.
 |
| Hokitika Gorge |
 |
| Interesting Rock Formation - Punakaiki |
From Hokitika Gorge I headed north to Punakaiki, about two hours away. On the way there, I did detour to a place called Tree Top Walkway just 15 mins from Hokitika town centre, however with entrance fee of $38, I skipped it in the end. I just didn't think it was worth the money as there were so many amazing walks and hikes that you can do for free. Even though this walkway is more about human engineering so I supposed there's lots of effort put into it. In the end I still thought that the admission fee was quite steep for a walkway.
 |
| Jagged cliff alongside ocean road towards Punakaiki |
 |
| Jagged cliff alongside ocean road towards Punakaiki |
Moving on to Punakaiki, the drive alongside the beach was absolutely stunning! Driving on the coastal road with picturesque rocky beach on my left and jagged cliffs on the right. I made couple of stops at lookouts along the way for some photos. Finally arrived at campground, I pitched my tent in the corner tucked away under big tree giving nice shades and cool breeze. Once done, I went on a leisurely walk to the infamous "Pancake Rocks." The way this limestone rocks shaped are truly like a stack of pancakes. What a breathtaking creation of Mother Nature! On a high tide there's blowholes between the rocks and creating a scene that shouldn't be missed. I made a return trip that evening half an hour before sunset and joined in with other sunset seekers and watched as the sun was set on the West Coast. Spectacular evening it was! The last light from the sun gave good lighting to Pancake Rocks, made it look even more dramatic.
 |
| Looking out from my tent in Punakaiki |
 | ||
| Pancake Rocks
|
The following day I drove back to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass as I wanted to do another hike before catching my flight back to Auckland that evening. I was hiking Scott's track which also quite popular amongst the hikers. Due to time constraints I did the walk until the bush line, in my opinion it was already quite strenuous and constantly up hill. The track was covered with rocks, tree roots and at times even some mini falls. I had to watch my steps all the time. On the way up, I made a lunch stop overlooking the rugged Southern Alps. It was an 'invitation' I just couldn't resist! What a place to have my cold pasta! It was so serene with occasional sounds of Kea from a distance and majestic view in the heart of the Alps right in front of me. What a moment to be thankful for.
 |
| Looking out to Southern Alps |
 |
| My lunch date with Southern Alps |
Back from the bush line, I descended back to the village and made my way to Christchurch airport with a quick stop for a flat white in Springfield, a little town about three quarter of an hour before Christchurch as I was quite sleepy and needed caffeine fix badly.
South Island, it's always a pleasure going back to see you! I know I'll be back sooner than later.
"And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling." - Shanti
*Scroll down for statistics
 |
| Gorgeous sunset in Punakaiki |
 |
| Pancake Rocks - Punakaiki |
 |
| Great Ocean Road - West Coast |
 |
| Southern Alps
|
Statistics ($NZD) :
Return flight Auckland-Christchurch-Auckland: $108 (Jetstar)
Car Rental 3 days : $189 incl. Full Insurance Cover (Rent A Dent company)
YHA Mountain House Backpackers-2x nights in Dorm: $56
Punakaiki Beach Camp-1x night Non Powered site Tent : $17
Walking tracks: FREE
No comments:
Post a Comment