abowerbirdsnest

One of the hardest destinations for me to work into my itinerary was Arthur’s Pass National Park and the long west to east road through the centre of it. I really wanted to see the park and it’s mountains but didn’t want to see the road through to it’s end. Finally I just gave up and accepted that doubling back on myself was the only option. Frustrating, but worth it to see the landscape.

Everything in Arthur’s Pass was so dramatic, and reminded me very much of Scotland. Huge cragged mountains disappearing into the clouds, wildflowers popping up all over the place, and long swerving roads that weave throughout the ranges. It really was a beautiful spot.

Driving through, there were oh so many little bridges and narrow one way roads - and it really crystalised a big difference between driving in Australia and New Zealand. In New Zealand, drivers don't do the hand raise. You know when someone gives way to you and you lift your hand slightly off the well as a sign of thanks? Here? Not at all. And it was very frustrating not to have it returned! Jeez New Zealand. So rude.

The deeper into the national park I went, the more dramatic the mountains became and I could only imagine how impressive they would all be in winter, covered in snow. I kept pulling over to take more and more photos, but the sky was so white and hazy and the mountains so tall that my photography skills weren't up to the challenge. You know the refrain by now: trust me, way more beautiful in person.

The turning point was to be Castle Hill, about half way through Arthur's Pass, but by the time I got there it was really starting to rain quite heavily - way too heavy to mountain goat it up a hill, so I got a little spy from the road before turning back and enjoying the views from the other direction.

I'm settled in at Hokitika for the night, with Hokitika Gorge first up in the morning. Good night all!

Animal Sightings:

cows
sheep
goats
alpaca
deer
New Zealand falcons
seagulls
rabbits
turkeys

Today's Playlist:

Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #15: Jack and Coconuts
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #16: A Beautiful Gleaming City
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #17: Trap Trapers and Drow
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #18: Captive
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #19: One Eyed Mystra
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #20: Daniel
How Stuff Works: How Habeas Corpus works
How Stuff Works: How to Survive a Plane Crash
How Stuff Works: How Flirting Works
How Stuff Works: What can be done with a dead body?
How Stuff Works: Where’s the best place on your body to get shot?
Plumbing the Death Star #316: Why Do Vampires and Werewolves Hate Each Other in Everything?

Daily Stats:
Kilometres travelled: 331 (2563 in total)
Times I hit my head on the van: 1 (7 in total)
Times bitten by a sandfly: 4
Number of other campers cooking proper healthy dinners while I ate mac and cheese: 6

Day 12: Gold Star for Arthur

by Rebecca Johnson on Wednesday, January 08, 2020

One of the hardest destinations for me to work into my itinerary was Arthur’s Pass National Park and the long west to east road through the ...

Bit of a slow day today, spent most of the day driving and exploring various lookouts. A recurrent struggle for me is the inability to take photos that truly show how beautiful it is here. You really just have to take my word for it. The water (lakes, rivers, even small creeks) are such vibrant colours. The trees are so varied that you feel like you move right out of a farm into some sort of Jurassic Park mountainside before hitting windswept beach trees. The landscape is just continually shifting.

A field of sunflowers for Renae

The first big pit stop today was at Lake Rotoiti in Nelson Lakes National Park. There’s a very small jetty here that is on the New Zealand bucket list - and I think everyone was there today to check it out. But I wanted my turn quite happily entranced by the view. I even paddled a little (extremely little) and can verify the lake’s ‘alpine’ status. Man, was it icy.

When I was able to get a clear view of/from the jetty I pounced but I just don’t have the ruthlessness needed to set up the right angle. I watch other tourists shove people out of the way and line everything up and that is just not a trait I have mastered. I’m fairly happy with my askew photos though, so I’ll consider it a win and tick it off the bucket list.

It's very hard to explain to kindly strangers that I wasn't after someone to take my photo - but since I've been instructed by a few of you to actually be in some, here you go.

After leaving Lake Rotoiti, I played leap frog with Buller River, one of New Zealand’s longest rivers. I drove alongside and over it and managed to get sneaky glimpses of it’s beautiful greenish waters raging along through through trees. I did eventually come to a good stopping point at a lookout to take some photos for you but, again, it truly doesn’t do it justice.

My afternoon goal was to reach Dolomite Point in Punakaiki to see the the Pancake Rocks. This reminded me a little of the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland* - you have to love a weird, not entirely explainable coastal formation. Scientists know the basics - that marine sediment has settled over millions of years only to be pushed up from the seabed… but why exactly it has maintained this layered appearance they can’t quite say.

Animal Sightings

Cows
Sheep
Horses
oh-so-many deer**
several New Zealand falcons
an overly friendly duck I was sure would get in the van
black swans
eels

Today’s Playlist

D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #5: King of the Ghouls
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #6: Fighting in the Dark
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #7: Charmed
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #8: Things Get Worse
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #9: The Big City
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #10: Unicorn Princess
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #11: Keeping it Druid
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #12: One Eyed Daniel
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #13: Devils Fire
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #14: Animal Companions
How Stuff Works: How Delta Force Works
How Stuff Works: How China’s Pollution Sniffers Work
How Stuff Works: How Entomophagy Works
How Stuff Works: How Cannibalism Works
How Stuff Works: Will We Soon Be Extinct?
How Stuff Works: How Living Off the Grid Works
How Stuff Works: How do Tibetans avoid altitude sickness?
How Stuff Works: How Prayer Healing Works
How Stuff Works: Why do grooms carry brides over the threshold?
Science Rules #12: What Evolution Wants
Science Rules #13: Are We Living in a Simulation?

Daily Stats:
Kilometres travelled: 402km (2232 in total)
Approximate length of Lake Rotoiti jetty: 10 metres
Approximate people standing on jetty at any given point: 3 million
Approximate number of deer seen: 80
How many times I was irrationally excited to see the deer: 80

*but less cooler, sorry Pancake Rocks. You at least have the yum factor going for you.

**In true road trip fashion (just me?) the first herd of deer got a cheery “oh hello deer!”… and then there were several paddocks in a row. It was quite the loud road, but they were all greeted.

Day 11: Pancakes

by Rebecca Johnson on Wednesday, January 08, 2020

Bit of a slow day today, spent most of the day driving and exploring various lookouts. A recurrent struggle for me is the inability to take ...

Here's Day 10 - coming to you a day late because last night I stayed in a wi-fi black hole.

Yesterday was a day in which I battled the elements at nearly every turn. New Zealand refused to cooperate, but it did it so forthrightly that you couldn't really mind too much.

I started off with a smidge of a sleep in - if you can banish the thought of being inside a hearse (I think it's the little curtains) then it's actually rather cosy in the van. And then put in a few hours driving towards and through Abel Tasman National Park.

Here I was looking to visit Te Waikoropupū Springs. They are New Zealand's largest freshwater springs, the largest coldwater springs in the Southern Hemisphere, and (the point of intrigue for me) some of the clearest waters ever on record.

And here is where the elements really started to fight me because my goodness were these waters clear - but do you think I could get a photo that would show it? No!

The springs were accessible by a weaving path through and over the springs, which was a lovely little trip. Plus there were lots of little bridges - and I love a little bridge! Or a big bridge. Any bridge really.

The walked centred in on the largest open part of the spring and this was just astounding. It was quite deep, but you could see right down to the bottom as if there was barely any water there at all. The water bubbling up from the underground wells was not my friend in taking the photos, but this photo (#10, scroll to the bottom) gives a far better indication of just how clear it was.

After exploring the spring, I continued northward, around Golden Bay, into the Kiwi. Did you know New Zealand had a kiwi as part of its coastline? So cute. I was staying in the 'eye of the kiwi' for the night, up at Wharariki Beach. And here is where I learned the secret of New Zealand.

Are you ready for it?

I know why everyone in New Zealand is fit and healthy. They make you hike a million miles to see anything interesting. EVERYTHING. COMES. WITH. A HIKE.

Now, I'm not opposed to this in theory, but when I think 'hike to a tourist destination' I think maybe a reasonable, accessible stroll. When the sign says '20 minutes', I think, okay, I'm slow. Let's give it 40 but I'll get there in the end.

But no. New Zealand says '20 minute easy walk' and they actually mean:

an hour at least
nearly entirely uphill
extremely narrow walkway next to ~~your doom~~ ~~a cliff~~ ~~a hill~~ a very small drop-off that certainly wouldn't hurt me if I fell, I promise.
wind that was so strong it blew me over twice
a sand storm
senior citizens who lapped me, causing what was left of my self-worth to crumble
cows

I’m aware that all that makes me sound rather pathetic. But, well, I am.

I managed quite well until I got to the beach part, to be truthful.

I was heading to the Wharaiki Beach because I wanted to see the Archway Islands - plus I had heard rumours of seal pups in the rock pools. Ah but see, the elements. Those pesky elements. Firstly, I was just a smidge too late tidewise to get the view I really wanted, but the big problem was the gale-force winds that were coming in off the ocean. It truly did knock me to the ground several times and throughout it all the sand was coming at me so fast it was in my eyes, my hair, my mouth, just swirling all around me. After struggling towards the shore for at least 20 minutes, I gave up, took a hasty shot from where I was, and headed out of the sand storm.

Stopping just off the beach to catch my breath (I’m playing the ‘still heavily medicated’ card here people) a very healthy looking man, carrying a baby stopped to see if I was okay. First of all: he shouldn’t be allowed to talk to me. He was clearly far too capable, taking care of both himself and an infant in that maelstrom. But then, to really make matters worse, after making sure I was able to get back… he asked if I saw the seals. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Not only did I have so much sand in my shoes that it was hurting, I had missed the seals after all. You win this round New Zealand, but I am less than pleased.

At this point, I was still hopeful. Yes, it was windy, but those formations really aren't far at all! That's a 5-minute stroll, tops.

It seriously took me 20 minutes to get to this half waypoint. I'm most annoyed that this photo doesn't show the huge swirls of sand coming up around me. That would at least validate me and not make me look incompetent.

So I made it back to the campsite alive if not entirely well. Exploring the grounds, I found this on the kitchen door and thought it rather amusing...

...but later when this family of peacocks literally stole the remains of my pie out of my hands, after already holding it up out of their reach for what I did manage to eat, I could see how it was a necessary sign.

He waited at the counter so long as if he was expecting service. Sadly, it didn't come.

Animal Sightings:

cows
sheep
horse
peacocks
various fish

Today's Playlist

D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #3: Into the Tomb
D&D is for Nerds - Hus Firma Pride #4: Werebear
How Stuff Works: What’s the difference between deodorant and antiperspirant?
How Stuff Works: Is sleep that important?
How Stuff Works: What are smart mobs?
How Stuff Works: Is there a torture manual?
How Stuff Works: Are humans wired to survive?
How Stuff Works: Why do people blush?
How Stuff Works: How Graceland Works
Reply All #5: Jennicam
Reply All #6: This Proves Everything
Reply All #7: This Website is For Sale
Reply All #8: Anxiety Box
Reply All #9: The Writing on the Wall
Reply All #10: The French Connection
Science Rules #7: Language Rules!
Science Rules #8: Are We Alone in the Universe?
Science Rules #9: Discover Your Reading Superpower with LeVar Burton
Science Rules #10: Eating Like a Science Guy
Science Rules #11: Your Climate Change Reality Check
Unprompted & Unwanted #1

Daily Stats:

Kilometres travelled: 126 (1830 in total)

Number of senior citizens who out healthed me: 5

Day 10: Me vs. the Wind

by Rebecca Johnson on Tuesday, January 07, 2020

Here's Day 10 - coming to you a day late because last night I stayed in a wi-fi black hole. Yesterday was a day in which I battled the...

For those who have been asking (thank you), I'm feeling much better today. I most definitely had a fever last night but I feel like I've broken through the worst of it and am feeling much more human. Yay for stronger meds.

A bit of a drive this morning along the Queen Charlotte Drive. This is a 40km windy drive across the northernmost edge of the South Island. One of the downsides of travelling alone is that there is no one to elbow and have take good photos while you're going along, so you'll just have to trust me that the scenery was lovely. Huge rolling hills, ocean views, giant swathes of forests - it was one thing after another, and all beautiful.

A ways along the road is Cullens Point Lookout, which I was told had a good view back down over the Marlborough Sounds. What I was NOT told, is that it was an uphill death march to reach. I pulled in to the parking area, saw a sign that said 500m, 9 min. Psssh, I can do that, not even a problem. Started walking and then realised that it just kept going up and up and up. Now I am lazy and not that active, I'll own to that, but I was feeling mightily ashamed at how much I was struggling. Of course, even attempting it was ridiculously stupid because I was wheezing when sitting still in the car. Anyways, I didn't make it all the way to the top, but I figured the view I got was good enough.

Returning to the car was, no shock, much quicker as it was all downhill. A bit more driving ensued, hills were woven through, and podcasts were listened to. In Havelock I stopped for lunch, having scoped out a restaurant I wanted to try: The Mussel Pot. I really love seafood, but it's not something I cook for myself at home, so I'm keen to take up the opportunity for fresh seafood that New Zealand provides and I had heard good things about the green-shelled mussels at this very popular restaurant. I asked the waiter what the most popular was and he said the white wine and cream sauce. Though it doesn't look that appealing, it really was good - even paired with my odd choice of orange juice (mainlining Vitamin C).

I had intended to visit a scenic reserve not far from the restaurant but could not manage to find the entrance anywhere. Turns out that Google was sending me who knows where because I later DID drive past the entrance but it was not a safe turning spot and so I went onwards.

On the drive to my accommodation, however, I drove past a pick-your-own berries sign and I had never done that before. There was no way I was missing that! An hour later I had the freshes raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries, and karaka blackberries. I really enjoyed the satisfaction that came from picking my own (I type as I continue to eat more and more berries) and was pleasantly surprised that I took home my haul for less than $5. The hardest part was making sure the berries went in the punnet and not into my mouth.

I had a run-in with an overripe boysenberry.

Once at the accommodation I had a fairly homely night. I did the slowest load of washing ever, waiting for others to return to collect their loads before I could take each next step, and did some journaling while I waited. By the time I was done, Beauty and the Beast was playing in the TV room, and I was sold. Turns out this is how you get me to use the communal areas.

Animal Sightings: