“…And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say.”
Apparently this is taking me a long time to say - I hope it is worth it!
Now where were we...
1. Friday 10th March
Motueka – we got an Aqua Taxi to Bark Bay in Abel Tasman (a brilliantly named national park) and walked 22km back to where we parked the car.
1. Friday 10th March
Motueka – we got an Aqua Taxi to Bark Bay in Abel Tasman (a brilliantly named national park) and walked 22km back to where we parked the car.
It was a longer walk than the 19.4km hike up Tongariro, but because it was pretty much flat most of the way it was far more pleasant and less exhausting. My feet were throbbing by the end of it though!
2. Saturday 11th March
It rained like hell all day. And it turns out there’s not much to do in Motueka in the rain. We drove out for a bit and saw Golden Bay (as the name implies, I’m sure this place is better seen in the sun) and we drove over Takaka Hill and saw a beautiful grotto of limestone rocks with trees growing out of them. Creepy and beautiful, though pictures didn’t come out (for which I blame the rain).
It was a shame the day was a bit of a washout but I think rest days were good for us, and I still just enjoy having a lark with CB.
3. Sunday 12th March
Rain continued sadly, but at least we were driving for a fair few hours on to Greymouth. We stopped off at Pancake Rocks which were absolutely fantastic, and we saw dolphins and a couple of wekas!
Greymouth is dull as hell. We walked about in the rain and filled our pockets with any stone that looked remotely green until we were severely weighted down.
Not our smartest hobby but it was very funny!
4. Monday 13th March
We left the drab pit that is Greymouth for the day and drove to Hokitika to see the gorge. The water is so incredibly blue because of suspended rock particles from the glacier (glacial flour). Bastard sand-flies were out in force though. Tip #3 be aware of sand-flies at all times. And kill them.
We continued driving to the Franz Josef glacier which had retreated a lot over the years but is still really cool and surprisingly pretty.
CB cleverly brought some binoculars so we got to see the detailing of the ice. Major cool points.
5. Tuesday 14th March
We left Greymouth for good and did not look back.
We stopped just into Arthur’s Pass and walked up the Devil’s Punchbowl (great name) track up to a waterfall. The waterfall was beautiful, but the path up was horrific! All very steep steps leading up. I wanted to kill CB but, as he was in charge of the driving, I didn’t.
We also stopped at some amazing rock formations at Castle Hill Rock and at Peel Forest where we saw some enormous trees and native trees and woodland.
My favourite part was the birdcalls, which were so loud, so clear, so melodic, and so numerous.
We arrived at Lake Tekapo about 6pm and instantly fell in love with the place.
There had been thick black cloud cover most of our journey and we had resigned ourselves to the fact that stargazing would be cancelled. However, as we drove over the mountains, the skies suddenly cleared into beautiful sunshine.
The good weather also meant that stargazing went ahead! There was 80-90% visibility (I.e. no cloud) and we could see hundreds of stars. We would have been able to see more but the moon was so full and so bright! It did mean we got a breathtaking view of the moon through the telescopes though.
The 2 hours flew by. We saw Alpha Centuri, and Sirius, and Orion (AKA the Pot when in the Southern hemisphere!) as well as the Orion Nebula, Jewel Box Star Cluster and a Globular Star Cluster. And Jupiter. And 3 of Jupiter’s moons.
6. Wednesday 15th March
Tekapo is really small, with about 300 permanent residents. It’s hemmed in by mountains and has the bluest lake which winks at you in the sunlight. It is my version of heaven on earth. When people tell me to go to my happy place, Tekapo is where I will now go.
We just spent the day relaxing in the sun by the lake, chatting about life and doing puzzles. And I could have stayed forever.
7. Thursday 16th March
Sadly we had to leave Tekapo quite early in order to make our next trip – a boat trip on a glacial lake in Twizel. I hated leaving Tekapo, but I must admit I wasn’t disappointed by the lake. I love boat trips anyway, but the views we got of the glacier and the information we learnt about the icebergs (plus we got to eat icebergs – no joke!) really took this to the next level.
We arrived in Wanaka early enough for a bit of a flop on the bed for a little bit as we were both exhausted, but dragged ourselves up for a wander around the town along the lake.
Again, I seem to have written for longer than intended… Until next time!
*Quote from J.R.R. Tolkien
2. Saturday 11th March
It rained like hell all day. And it turns out there’s not much to do in Motueka in the rain. We drove out for a bit and saw Golden Bay (as the name implies, I’m sure this place is better seen in the sun) and we drove over Takaka Hill and saw a beautiful grotto of limestone rocks with trees growing out of them. Creepy and beautiful, though pictures didn’t come out (for which I blame the rain).
It was a shame the day was a bit of a washout but I think rest days were good for us, and I still just enjoy having a lark with CB.
3. Sunday 12th March
Rain continued sadly, but at least we were driving for a fair few hours on to Greymouth. We stopped off at Pancake Rocks which were absolutely fantastic, and we saw dolphins and a couple of wekas!
Greymouth is dull as hell. We walked about in the rain and filled our pockets with any stone that looked remotely green until we were severely weighted down.
 |
| CB selecting the perfect 'greenstone' |
4. Monday 13th March
We left the drab pit that is Greymouth for the day and drove to Hokitika to see the gorge. The water is so incredibly blue because of suspended rock particles from the glacier (glacial flour). Bastard sand-flies were out in force though. Tip #3 be aware of sand-flies at all times. And kill them.
We continued driving to the Franz Josef glacier which had retreated a lot over the years but is still really cool and surprisingly pretty.
CB cleverly brought some binoculars so we got to see the detailing of the ice. Major cool points.
5. Tuesday 14th March
We left Greymouth for good and did not look back.
We stopped just into Arthur’s Pass and walked up the Devil’s Punchbowl (great name) track up to a waterfall. The waterfall was beautiful, but the path up was horrific! All very steep steps leading up. I wanted to kill CB but, as he was in charge of the driving, I didn’t.
We also stopped at some amazing rock formations at Castle Hill Rock and at Peel Forest where we saw some enormous trees and native trees and woodland.
 |
| None of my pictures reflect just how incredible these trees are! |
We arrived at Lake Tekapo about 6pm and instantly fell in love with the place.
There had been thick black cloud cover most of our journey and we had resigned ourselves to the fact that stargazing would be cancelled. However, as we drove over the mountains, the skies suddenly cleared into beautiful sunshine.
The good weather also meant that stargazing went ahead! There was 80-90% visibility (I.e. no cloud) and we could see hundreds of stars. We would have been able to see more but the moon was so full and so bright! It did mean we got a breathtaking view of the moon through the telescopes though.
The 2 hours flew by. We saw Alpha Centuri, and Sirius, and Orion (AKA the Pot when in the Southern hemisphere!) as well as the Orion Nebula, Jewel Box Star Cluster and a Globular Star Cluster. And Jupiter. And 3 of Jupiter’s moons.
6. Wednesday 15th March
Tekapo is really small, with about 300 permanent residents. It’s hemmed in by mountains and has the bluest lake which winks at you in the sunlight. It is my version of heaven on earth. When people tell me to go to my happy place, Tekapo is where I will now go.
We just spent the day relaxing in the sun by the lake, chatting about life and doing puzzles. And I could have stayed forever.
7. Thursday 16th March
Sadly we had to leave Tekapo quite early in order to make our next trip – a boat trip on a glacial lake in Twizel. I hated leaving Tekapo, but I must admit I wasn’t disappointed by the lake. I love boat trips anyway, but the views we got of the glacier and the information we learnt about the icebergs (plus we got to eat icebergs – no joke!) really took this to the next level.
We arrived in Wanaka early enough for a bit of a flop on the bed for a little bit as we were both exhausted, but dragged ourselves up for a wander around the town along the lake.
Again, I seem to have written for longer than intended… Until next time!
*Quote from J.R.R. Tolkien
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