Last night was the worst nights sleep we have had so far. The heavy rain was beating on the top of the van and it was relentless. When we opened the door this morning we were expecting to see a mooring rope instead of the electric cable connecting us to the site. The skies were grey and heavy even though it had left off raining, not a particularly welcoming start to the day.
What was welcoming was the single sex ablution block. No more fears of lacy thongs – leastways I hope not!
The plan today was to head off to Arthurs Pass and if the weather didn’t improve, as per forecast, then we would stay for another day in the hope of some improvement. By the time we had completed breakfast, emptied and filled up where necessary and completed the pre take off checks that include making sure the electric cable is disconnected before departure it was about 09.00.
Our first scheduled stop was Geraldine to pick up dinner for Wednesday, if we are to be at Arthurs Pass for two days as there is likely to be little by way of shops. We also picked up scones to have with tea later in the morning. The rain was mostly holding off but the cloud was still low and totally hiding any decent views of the scenery. After a quick pit stop in Geraldine, we started to make good time as the roads were as straight as arrows and completely devoid of traffic.
Just after Mount Hutt, we passed over the Rakaia River, which has cut an amazing gorge through the rocks, exposing many different layers of different types of rock. Like many of the rivers in New Zealand, it has a distinctly chalky blue appearance, which is apparently due to the high mineral content in it.
We soon arrived at our lunch stop on the edge of Lake Lyndon and the sun was also burning through the clouds, just like yesterday. By the time we had finished lunch, we were wallowing in brilliant sunshine. From Lake Lyndon we started the climb up to the Pass and the scenery was very similar to going down the West coast, which is hardly surprising as we are only on the other side of the same mountains as we were 2 weeks ago. The closer we got to Arthurs Pass the better the views were getting and the brighter the sun was getting. In places, we ran parallel with the train track which carries the Trans Alpine Train from Christchurch to Greymouth. Heaven knows how they ever managed to make the train track through this very beautiful, but very inhospitable stretch of countryside. Many of the mountains seem as high as some of those around Mount Cook, but the difference is that none of these have snow on them. As we approached Arthurs Pass and the train station we were looking for the information centre to find out the exact location of our campsite. We pulled into the carpark of the information centre and went in to get instructions. Looking across the road, next to the station, we saw an avalanche shelter – that didn’t look too good!
The staff in the information centre were their usual helpful, friendly selves, but the news we got wasn’t what we wanted to hear. The site we had booked was another 35Kms towards Greymouth, which meant that if we stayed two nights, we would have to do the extra 35Kms a number of times. As soon as we left the info centre, the road started to twist and turn before going over an amazing viaduct, then continuing to twist for some distance.
Doing this journey 5 times was not going to be very pleasing, so it was looking as if we would only stay the one night, particularly as the weather was now fantastic and we could see everything quite clearly. There were a number of good lookout points along the route, so the journey took forever, but there are some good photos.
Eventually, we reached the site, not one of the Top 10 variety that we have been staying in, but an independent one. In fact it’s the only site between Springfield and Arthurs Pass, or should I say 35Kms past Arthurs Pass! Anyway, the location is terrific, off the main road and cut into the side of the hill, with just a small number of sites and superb facilities. The friendly lady behind reception suggested a 30 minute walk to a nearby waterfall, which we thought would be a good idea, as it was only 4.00pm and too early for drinks. After covering ourselves with insect repellent, we set off across the tent pitches to the red gate in the corner marking the start of the trek. We hadn’t gone more than 50metres into the bush, when we were confronted with a stream to cross. When I say bush, what I really mean is dense tropical rain forest with huge tree ferns and all sorts of moss infested trees and plants. This is not something we will be doing when we get to Australia!!! However, as there are no nasties in New Zealand apart from the sandflies, which just bite and itch for days afterwards, we felt it was safe to carry on. We continued our climb upwards through the bush and soon we could hear the waterfall, but it was not yet visible. On for another 15 minutes and then it came into view. Unfortunately, the undergrowth was so thick that the sunlight clearly never gets to it, so photographs were a little tricky, but we tried.
As it had rained so heavily last night and part of this morning, there was a good flow of water through the falls, which made the climb that much more rewarding. Returning to camp the same way as we went up, seemed much quicker and we were soon back at the van and getting a brew going. We sat outside in glorious late afternoon sunshine enjoying a cup of tea and a dunk, before preparing for dinner this evening. By the time we finished tea and biscuits, it was time for a glass of wine and a beer before cooking dinner.
We had the kitchen/dining/lounge are completely to ourselves, so we decided to eat there instead of in the van. After washing up we sat on a wonderful, soft cushioned sofa and watched interference free TV for a while before returning to the van and starting this blog. Just after returning, the sun started to set behind the mountains and the Kea birds (alpine parrots) started squawking. Not something that we had experienced anywhere else on this trip. Whilst this is a beautiful location and excellent facilities, we will probably take a slow drive across to Christchurch tomorrow and stay for two nights before returning the campervan.
Late entry – I have just been for a shower to get off the insect repellent and noticed that there is a half moon out tonight and the skies are absolutely awash with stars. With no light pollution up here in the mountains, the sky is crystal clear, definitely an astronomers dream come true. It’s also getting blooming cold this evening!!
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