Welcome back! If you couldn’t tell from the title, this is the recap of the second half of my roadtrip, after Autumn and I split ways at Queenstown.
My first solo adventure on Wednesday was hitting up a letterbox at the Queenstown Botanical Gardens that we had missed because of the Luma festival. I located a second letterbox just outside Queenstown at the Kawarau Bridge, where I bungee jumped back in the summer.
Somewhere in there I caught these views…
I made a brief stop in Wanaka to pick up a crepe from my favorite breakfast place and some CDs from a thrift store, because I quickly found out that radio reception was pretty far and few between.
And then it was off on an even grander adventure to the West Coast! What a great day for driving…
I quickly made a habit of pulling over after seeing something really neat, dashing out to grab a picture, and then racing back to the car.
A couple longer stops were at a few waterfalls…
…and the very aptly named Blue Pools.
Earlier in the semester several ISA friends had come here and jumped off the bridge in the last picture, but it was a little too chilly for that by the time I made it there. Still very worth the stop!
About early afternoon I reached Haast, which was the last town with a gas station for another 140 km. I found it pretty funny that the station didn’t even bother posting a price; I guess when there’s much of a demand it really doesn’t matter.
After Haast I started seeing a lot more of the coast, which was really cool. I know it’s cliche, but the ocean just kept going and going…
I made a stop in Brod Bay, where it appears the thing to do was write a message on a rock and leave it in a pile, …
….then went over several suspension bridges and through winding curves…
…until I reached the tiny town of Franz Josef, my home for the night.
It was a pretty quiet night for me, mostly filled with cooking dinner, a little time spent with my Northern European roommates, and studying (did I mention I had finals that next week? Time to get serious!).
Thursday I woke up to a drizzly day. Though I drug my feet a little, I eventually got packed up and headed out to see the nearby Franz Josef Glacier. I was actually really lucky to be able to see it; a couple of months ago there had been severe flooding in the area that had wiped out the roads leading back to both Franz Josef Glacier and the nearby Fox Glacier. Fox was still closed when I got there, but I guess Franz Josef had just reopened.
It was about a 30 minute hike one way to see the glacier, and unfortunately it was drizzling most of the way. The air was so misty that it was honestly kind of hard to see the glacier; you can kinda make it out in the photo below. A bit underwhelming frankly, but at least I can say I’ve seen a glacier relatively up close now!
After finding a quick letterbox just off of one of the trails, it was time to hang up my raincoat inside my car, turn up the heat, and hit the road again!
Next stop was Hokitika, a neat little coastal town.
I had heard about Hokitika Gorge and wanted to visit but didn’t realize it was actually a 30 minute drive from the actual town. I decided to go for it anyway.
It was a neat place, but due to the rain the water wasn’t quite as blue as some pictures I’d seen. I also looked for a letterbox here but couldn’t find it.
My next official stop wasn’t until Punakaiki, but that didn’t keep me from pulling over a couple times for some cool shots.
A little bit of backstory on that night’s destination: I had first heard about the Pancake Rocks, located in the tiny coastal town of Punakaiki, from the in-flight magazine on my initial flight from Auckland to Dunedin. It was one of the first things on my bucket list, but I wasn’t sure if I would make it there, since it was pretty far away from everywhere else. When I started planning this road trip, I knew I had to get there, even if it would mean a little backtracking later on. Boy, was it worth it.
I arrived in Punakaiki a little before dark, so I decided to save the Pancake Rocks for the morning and snuggle into my hostel instead. After a day of being wet, the hostel felt so nice and dry and cozy and homey. On top of that, it was located right on the beach, AND I had a gorgeous guitar-playing Londoner for a roommate. It was a pretty quiet night studying, but it honestly felt like I’d found a slice of paradise.
Plus, I got to indulge in a steamy pud!
‘Puds’ I’m guessing are short for pudding, though more like a cakey pudding than what we have in the States. I hadn’t seen these until I came to NZ, and with so little processed food available, I was pretty intrigued. They were so good, especially warmed up!
Come Friday morning, I was honestly kinda reluctant to leave the hostel, it was so homey. Probably my favorite place I stayed in all of NZ.
But there were even better things in store for the day, namely the Pancake Rocks. They’re named so because the ocean has worn them down so they appear to have layers (my geology ignorance is surely showing). The water’s also worn away several pockets, holes and chasms in the rocks, and especially come high tide, the area is just a majestic and thunderous display of booming, splashing, spraying, powerful water. It’s really quite the sight to see, so I’m not sorry for bombarding you with pictures.
To make things even better, there was a letterbox here, and I was first finder!
I then walked back down the hill towards town to explore a nearby cave, which was kinda cool.
I still couldn’t resist the pull of the Pancake Rocks, though, and I found myself back there, which was even cooler since it was now closer to high tide. Definitely ranks as one of my favorite spots in New Zealand.
Though I lingered as long as I could, I had to hit the road so I could make it to the next destination: Arthur’s Pass, my first inland destination in a while. It was a pretty neat drive, and especially interesting how quickly things changed from bright, green and sunny….
…to snowy, cloudy and brown.
I arrived in the pass about 3:00 or so and made tracks to the Bealy Spur trailhead. The trail was recommended to me by an ISA friend, and despite having to battle some ice above the treeline, I was really glad I went through with it.
I beat the dark back down the mountain and went in search of my hostel just up the road. Not even 30 seconds after I had parked I heard something on the roof. To my great amusement, the beaky “something” didn’t take long to show itself.
It was the infamous kea, apparently its curiosity peaked by my shiny car. (For previous encounters with kea, see my post from hiking the Kepler Track.)
Even after I stepped out of the car, it just kind of sat and looked at me.
Four other less bold birds were a couple feet from the car and watched as I carried my stuff inside. Such cheeky things!
It was another quiet night with my singular bunkmate, this time July from Italy, who I had happened to first run into on the Bealey Spur track. Despite not being able to get the wi-fi to work, I was still able to study.
Saturday morning July and I went to go investigate some nearby hikes. She also wanted to see some kea (apparently her car wasn’t very shiny), so we headed to a lookout near the Otira Viaduct, where there were supposed to be some. What a piece of architecture!
Next up we started the Otira Valley Track, which was a bit lower in elevation than Bealey Spur, but still snowy and gorgeous! We could only walk about an hour in before special equipment was required, but it was worth it.
Afterwards, we drove back into the pass a little further and did the short Devil’s Punchbowl track. It didn’t really end in a punchbowl, at least not the kind I was used to, but there was a really neat waterfall!
July and I headed back to the hostel where I finished packing up my stuff and got ready to go. The hostel was a pretty neat stay, though quite rustic.
I even found a note left by some people in Earlham College in Indiana! What a small world!
After I got the car loaded, July and I said goodbye and parted ways. Next destination? Christchurch, on the east coast. After living in the U.S. my whole life, it was kinda funny to cross the whole width of the country in a matter of hours.
Of course, the drive to Christchurch wasn’t without a stop along the way. I saw there would be a letterbox at Castle Hill and decided to make a stop. And boy, I was so glad I did.
This place is well known among Kiwis as one of the best bouldering spots in New Zealand. It’s also well known as the filming site of the battle scene from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, hence the Mr. Tumnus stamp in the letterbox. Judging from the marks in the snow, it looks like a lot of people have found it to be a pretty good sledding spot too.
This was honestly one of my favorite spots in New Zealand. The boulders were just incredible, and it was the best feeling being able to climb up one, see for miles around and watch the sun go down.
After reluctantly leaving Castle Hill, I made one more quick stop at this picturesque place…
…then headed straight on to Christchurch. After checking into my hostel, I decided to walk a couple blocks down to BurgerFuel, New Zealand’s burger chain. Pretty good stuff, especially when paired with a good ol’ L&P (a lemon soda unique to NZ.
It was another pretty quiet night studying back at the hostel. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy the same solitude I’d experienced the last couple nights, but I made do.
Sunday morning was my last day on the road, and my plan was to make the most of it. I decided to start out by walking around downtown Christchurch, and I was glad I did. I’d been to Christchurch real briefly once before at the end of our mid-semester road trip, but I experienced much more of the 2011 earthquake devastation (as well as effects of the 2019 mosque shooting) this visit. Many of the buildings downtown were still in shambles or being held together by supports, including the Christchurch Cathedral, which they’ve only recently started to repair.
I did make it to the Transitional Cathedral, more commonly known as the Cardboard Cathedral (it is actually partially made out of cardboard!). The choir was having practice when I walked in, and it was really nice to sit down and listen for a few minutes. It’s just so neat to see how different denominations worship our same God.
Next I wandered down close to the Botanical Gardens in search of the Antigua Boat Sheds and discovered the Living Memorial for the victims of the mosque shooting back in March. The memorial had been pared down significantly in the previous few months, but it was still pretty awe-inspiring.
I did finally find the Boat Sheds! I was kind of hoping I could squeeze in punting (basically they take you down the river in a canoe, similar to a gondolier), but it just didn’t work out timing wise.
I decided to try and hit the nearby suburb of Lyttleton, which ended up being a slightly longer drive than expected, part of which was through one of the longest tunnels in the country. It was a neat little harbor town; one of the coolest parts was the Timeball Station, at which a large ball was dropped at a very specific time, which sailors could use to make sure their ships’ clocks were on schedule. The station was destroyed in the earthquake and had just recently been rebuilt.
I didn’t spend too much time there before heading back, as there was still a lot left to see; I really wanted to make it out to the Banks Peninsula yet. As it happened, though, I got lost trying to head that way and had to rely on Google Maps, which just happened to take me on a strange route through a residential area. I just happened to spot a sign for the “Old Stone House” and remembered seeing online that a letterbox was located there, so I turned around and nabbed the box. It was a pretty neat location with a cool ghost story.
I was even more psyched, however, about the Girl Guide center I had seen when I’d turned off to go to the Old Stone House. I drove in through the gates, and just my luck, they happened to be having an event there that weekend! I got to talk with three Rangers, which is like the US equivalent of Cadettes I believe, and they even let me take a quick video of them! I had been wanting to interact with Girl Guides since before I came, so I was over the moon (I was a Girl Scout for 12 years, so please excuse my nerdy excitement). And to think, if I hadn’t gotten lost, and if I hadn’t turned back for the letterbox, I would have never seen the center.
Next it was off to Akaroa, finally. Akaroa is the site of the only French settlement in New Zealand, and it takes about an hour to get there from Christchurch. It was a pretty drive with some great views of the ocean and peninsula.
Today Akaroa is pretty touristy, but it was still a neat town. I spent some time wandering in and out of shops, then walked down to the lighthouse.
After an hour or two, I was getting ready to hit the road again, especially knowing it was going to be about a five hour drive back to Dunedin. I made one more stop on the peninsula on my way out at Birdlings Flat in an attempt to grab a letterbox.
Unfortunately, I was a little too gung-ho in my driving while trying to find the box and unwittingly drove into a 4×4 area only, where I quickly got stuck. I was extremely fortunate that there were other people around who quickly stopped what they were doing and came to the rescue. We dug out the car some, then I hit the gas in reverse while some of my godsends pushed. We were able to get it unstuck, thank the Lord! That was an adventure I wouldn’t mind not repeating; honestly, it was one of the scariest moments of my time in New Zealand.
And of course, I couldn’t find the letterbox. Oh well. It was still an incredible place with a gorgeous beach. Even better, I was there for sunset.
After watching the sun go down for a while, it was time to hit the road back to Dunedin. Other than a stop for food and one quick detour for another attempt at a letterbox (foiled again, darn it), it was straight back to Dunedin. I got in about midnight, cleaned out the car, and took it back to the rental place before crashing for the night.
It’s hard to say how to wrap up such an amazing trip. I guess I’m just really glad I took the initiative to figure out what I still wanted to see and made a plan to make it happen. I think I’ll be forever grateful I did.
(One more post! That’s what I’m aiming for. I’ve got a week and a half before school starts; think I can do it before then?)
Ray of Sunshine Travel 