After being lucky with the sunny weather in
the Catlins,
Mark and I hit the other side of the spectrum, with five days of rain. Since
our next destinations were Milford Sound and the West Coast, both areas already
reputed to receive heaps of annual rain fall, we initially didn’t mind the drizzle,
low clouds and wet surfaces of Fiordland National Park. “Misty Milford” still
looked attractive, but hiking the longer trails was out of the question.
All our plans for New Zealand’s “activity central” called
Queenstown (some drives in the mountains for great views and watching some of
the world famous action from afar – I did all the adrenaline activities, like
bungee jumping, white water rafting, skydiving, … when I was backpacking here
14 years ago and when it was much more affordable) literally fell in the water.
We did eat at the recommended, famed and wonderful hamburger place “Fergburger”,
and I bought new waterproof walking shoes – very exciting! - after suffering
from wet, cold feet the previous days.
Next, we drove our campervan to Haast pass. Falling snow
along the way made us second-guess this South Island adventure once more. When
snow turned to rain again, some over-fed waterfalls on the route provided quite
the noisy and eye-catching entertainment. It kept on raining, so we continued
driving, being prevented from outdoor activities. At Fox Glacier, we were
disappointed by the view. I remembered from my previous visit here that it was
possible to walk all the way up to both glaciers in this area – Fox and Franz
Josef – but this had been made impossible by the weather. Because of the heavy
rainfall, the river – and trails - had flooded and the only way to see the
glacier was by walking up a hill and being 600m away. When we heard that it
wouldn’t be any better at Franz Josef (view from 2000m away!), we decided to
skip that one and head further north along the West Coast.
One of the highlights in the South Island is the
Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki, where high tide provides a unique blowhole
spectacle. When we arrived, it was still pouring rain – hail at times - and
high tide wasn’t until after dark. Luckily, a freedom camping spot is located
only 1 km from the site, so we parked and hoped the weather would improve by dawn the next
morning. It hadn’t. After the usual and cold morning work hours (6am – 9am), we
braved the liquid sunshine and watched the amazing spectacle of waves and
rocks. As our luck would have it, the massive storms from the previous night
had kicked up the waves and despite it being two hours past high tide, the
blowholes were still impressive, putting on quite a show!
Trying to figure out what was next – we really wanted to
drive cross country over the spectacular Arthur’s Pass – we opted for the
better weather in the north of the South Island and headed towards the
Nelson-Tasman area. Photos of this last part of our journey will be posted in
my next blog. Here are some images of our most rainy stretch of the trip:
Milford Sound and the West Coast.
Fiordland National Park:
 |
| Waterfalls abound along rock faces in the park |
 |
| Mirror Lakes - not as clear when it is rainy out |
 |
| Waking up next to Gunn Lake in the park |
 |
| One of the many rushing rivers in the park lands |
 |
| Along the "Milford Road" in Fiordland NP |
 |
| Some years ago, an ice field filled this valley! |
 |
| Mitre Peak in Milford Sound |
 |
| Two keas looking for scraps in Milford Sound |
 |
| Unimpressive waterfall at the end of the "Milford Road" |
 |
| Misty Milford - still pretty! |
 |
| A roaring fall at the head of Milford Sound |
 |
| Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park |
 |
| Icy river in the mountains |
 |
| The only "alpine" traffic lights in the world, to let you safely traverse the tunnel in the park. Note the "cheeky kea" on the road, trying to attack windshield wipers or steal a traveler's snack. |
 |
| We hoped to walk the Gertrude Valley track, but the path and river crossings were flooded. |
 |
| Another impressive waterfall in Fiordland NP |
 |
| Swing bridge over pretty, icy blue water |
Queenstown area:
 |
| Drive partway up to the Remarkables near Queenstown |
 |
| Rainy day in Arrowtown - the Chinese Settlement |
 |
| One of the reconstructed houses the Chinese mine workers lived in during the Gold Rush in the 1800s in Arrowtown |
 |
| Driving over the mountains from Queenstown to Wanaka - Time to head back north!! |
Haast Pass:
 |
| Waterfall at the end of a short walk |
 |
| And another one: "Quick, take a picture, the sun is out!" |
 |
| A stroll in New Zealand's lush forests |
Fox Glacier:
 |
| The expanding river - is it ever warm enough to (try to) swim here in glacial water? |
 |
| Brown water rushing down after days of rain |
 |
| Fox Glacier, seen from 600m away |
Punakaiki:
 |
| A perfect blowhole! |
 |
| Pancake Rocks |
 |
| It is cold and wet, but the rocks look really cool! |
 |
| Interesting rock formations bashed by a frothing ocean |
 |
| Many signs, but no penguins to be seen along the West Coast! |
After being lucky with the sunny weather in the Catlins,
Mark and I hit the other side of the spectrum, with five days of rain. Since
our next destinations were Milford Sound and the West Coast, both areas already
reputed to receive heaps of annual rain fall, we initially didn’t mind the drizzle,
low clouds and wet surfaces of Fiordland National Park. “Misty Milford” still
looked attractive, but hiking the longer trails was out of the question.
All our plans for New Zealand’s “activity central” called
Queenstown (some drives in the mountains for great views and watching some of
the world famous action from afar – I did all the adrenaline activities, like
bungee jumping, white water rafting, skydiving, … when I was backpacking here
14 years ago and when it was much more affordable) literally fell in the water.
We did eat at the recommended, famed and wonderful hamburger place “Fergburger”,
and I bought new waterproof walking shoes – very exciting! - after suffering
from wet, cold feet the previous days.
Next, we drove our campervan to Haast pass. Falling snow
along the way made us second-guess this South Island adventure once more. When
snow turned to rain again, some over-fed waterfalls on the route provided quite
the noisy and eye-catching entertainment. It kept on raining, so we continued
driving, being prevented from outdoor activities. At Fox Glacier, we were
disappointed by the view. I remembered from my previous visit here that it was
possible to walk all the way up to both glaciers in this area – Fox and Franz
Josef – but this had been made impossible by the weather. Because of the heavy
rainfall, the river – and trails - had flooded and the only way to see the
glacier was by walking up a hill and being 600m away. When we heard that it
wouldn’t be any better at Franz Josef (view from 2000m away!), we decided to
skip that one and head further north along the West Coast.
One of the highlights in the South Island is the
Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki, where high tide provides a unique blowhole
spectacle. When we arrived, it was still pouring rain – hail at times - and
high tide wasn’t until after dark. Luckily, a freedom camping spot is located
only 1 km from the site, so we parked and hoped the weather would improve by dawn the next
morning. It hadn’t. After the usual and cold morning work hours (6am – 9am), we
braved the liquid sunshine and watched the amazing spectacle of waves and
rocks. As our luck would have it, the massive storms from the previous night
had kicked up the waves and despite it being two hours past high tide, the
blowholes were still impressive, putting on quite a show!
Trying to figure out what was next – we really wanted to
drive cross country over the spectacular Arthur’s Pass – we opted for the
better weather in the north of the South Island and headed towards the
Nelson-Tasman area. Photos of this last part of our journey will be posted in
my next blog. Here are some images of our most rainy stretch of the trip:
Milford Sound and the West Coast.
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