The following day we watched a big debate on the morning news program concerning the Boobs on Bikes parade scheduled for that day in Auckland. What a hoot.

Our 11 am water taxi to Picton was running a bit late, so I called the Budget office to ask if it was possible that they not leave for lunch before we got there to collect our car. To our surprise, a Budget employee was waiting for us at the Cougar Line office and handed us the keys to our freshly washed and vacuumed car (what, no petrol?).

We left Picton on SH 1 towards Blenheim picking up SH 6/63 to Renwick, where we made a stop at Serisin Winery (organic), which had been recommended by a fellow Fodorite. We really liked their wines, but showed unusual restraint, purchasing only one bottle of their 2004 Pinot Noir.

We worked our way through the Wairau Valley wine region and I suddenly regretted not spending some time in the area. We continued our drive west through the country, surrounded by snow covered mountains and lots and lots of sheep. We drove through Nelson Lakes National Park and crossed the Buller River a few times on a road temporarily devoid of squiggles. The terrain eventually became mountainous as we passed through Kahurangi National Park. We made a stop in Murchison for… you’ll never guess…

The drive became really interesting between Inangahua Junction and Westport – narrow, winding roads, and several one lane bridges, one of which was actually cut into the side of a rock with nothing but the river on the other side. It was wild.

We stopped at the Charleston Scenic Reserve and drove to Coastal Bay. It was pretty, but cold and getting dark. Soon we found ourselves back in the car, being tossed from side to side on the winding road from Charleston to Punakaiki and Paparoa National Park, were we arrived four hours after leaving Blenheim.

Our lodging –

Te Puna Bush Haven – www.tepunabushhaven.co.nz/ - $160 per night

Nice digs, this one. Te Puna (meaning “the spring”) is a very private, fully self-contained house tucked back into the trees. It’s spotless and spacious, with two sleeping areas, a large lounge, and a fully equipped kitchen with dining room. We were very comfortable and warm here.

Day 1 –

We’d visited Punakaiki before, but this was our first stay here. We began the day by walking the Truman Track, which is assessable via a local path a short distance from Te Puna. It was low tide, so we were able to walk on the beach. This is a short walk with great coastal views and not surprisingly, plenty of sandflies. The track also leads through virgin forest, which was a bit nippy early in the day.

We then drove to Pancake Rocks, 3.5 km from Te Puna. We walked the trail through the rock formations and took in the gorgeous scenery, before heading to the Visitor’s Center for a walking map. Here I ran across the Book of Remembrance, a heartfelt tribute to those who lost their lives at Cave Creek in 1995.

http://library.christchurch.org.nz/K.../CaveCreek.asp

After checking track conditions with the DOC, we decided to take the Cave Creek Track. The turnoff was 2 km from the DOC office and then another 6 km along a very rough road with a few muddy spots. We walked to the Cave Creek Resurgence, which was marked with a touching memorial of rocks and ribbons made from leaves. This was a very sobering 2.5 mile walk (90 minutes return).

Back in the car we decided to go to Charleston to check out the Coastal Bay overlook that we’d missed the day before. We walked both the Coastal Bay Loop and the trail to the overlook (35 min return). This walk freaked me out a bit - no guard rails, just sheer drop offs at the top of the overlook. Both trails were really muddy and had been torn up by a motorcycle. We decided to continue driving to Westport, where we gassed the car, checked e-mail and picked up a few groceries before returning to Punakaiki.

Day 2 –

We woke to rain. Now this was the West Coast I remembered! We’d hoped to walk the 11 km Punakaiki-Pororari Loop, but changed our minds after driving to the trail head and looking at the river we’d have to cross. On to Plan B.

We drove 1 km north of the DOC office and walked the Pororari River Track. This is a very scenic, easy path along the river and through a limestone gorge – beautiful – 7 km return (about 4.5 miles) – took us just under two hours.

We had a drink at the Punakaiki Resort where we gazed at the ocean before going back to Te Puna to laze around a bit.

Alas, it was time to leave Paparoa National Park and our Te Puna hideaway. We left Punakaiki and headed south via SH 6 towards Greymouth (40 minute drive). We continued on to Hokitika, which seemed bigger and more prosperous than we remembered. We made a stop at the Sheep Station and a used book store before continuing our drive south.

As we drove along the highway littered with one way bridges and surrounded by lush forests, we eventually began to see snow capped mountains peeking through the low lying clouds. This is a gorgeous drive. We entered Franz Josef, finding the tiny town busy with people out enjoying the sunny day (yes, the sun does shine on the West Coast, even in August!).

We’ve visited this area many times, but we couldn’t resist driving the 4 km to Franz Josef Glacier. Here we walked to Peter’s Pool, a 1.1 km, 25 minute return walk that offers nice views of the glacier reflected in a crystal clear pool. We also took the Glacier View path, a 30 minute return walk to the viewing area. There was a sign advising against walking to the terminal face and for the first time in all our visits to the area, the walkway was actually blocked.

We continued our drive to Fox Glacier, along the very winding, incredibly scenic road. After a filling lunch at the Cook Saddle, we drove down the south Fox Glacier View Road and took the short walk to Glacier Viewpoint – five minutes down, five minutes back up.

We left Fox Glacier and continued our drive south, passing glacial blue Bruce Bay, beautiful Lake Paringa and Lake Moeraki. We stopped at Ship Creek and took the Forest Swamp walk (20 minute return) and the Dune Lake and Viewpoint walk (30 minute return). Both were easy and scenic, although I found the swamp a wee bit creepy. We continued south, ending our drive in Haast some eight hours later.

Our lodging –

McGuires Lodge - www.mcguireslodge.co.nz/ - $120 per night, studio unit

We were given #3, a very spacious unit with queen bed and two twins, a large bathroom and a kitchenette. The room was basic, but comfortable, clean and warm. The only problem we had was the shower, which leaked like crazy and flooded the bathroom when used.

I’d read good reviews about the meals at McGuires, but at the time of our visit the café was closed and the lodge was hosting a two course set menu for the locals. We were invited to attend, but we’d had a big lunch, so we took a pass. Instead we chose to sit on a bench outside the tiny Haast grocery store where we indulged in a Magnum bar (no Tip Top available!).

We toyed with the idea of staying multiple nights in Haast so we could explore the walks in the area, but we thought better of it and just stayed overnight.

It was bound to happen, the following day we woke to torrential rain. We were curious about Jackson Bay, and although the woman working in reception told us it would be a waste of time in this weather, we soon found ourselves on Jackson Bay Road. We stopped at Hapuka Estuary and took the 20 minute return walk through the swamp and rainforest. This is a nice boardwalk, with information boards explaining the birds, trees and whitebait found in the area.

We continued down flat, straight, Jackson Bay Road, intrigued by the scads of permanently bent trees. We eventually found ourselves at the end of the road in tiny Jackson Bay, a really pretty area, despite the rain. We sought out the Wharekai Te Kau track, which looked like a nice one, but was unfortunately closed due to track damage.

We backtracked to Haast where we found the most expensive gas of the trip - $1.75 per liter. You know you’re in trouble when they don’t even bother to post the price!

We then left Haast, continuing our drive south on SH 6. As we entered Mt Aspiring National Park, we could barely see the snow capped peaks rising above us, socked in by low lying clouds. The rain continued, but there were many waterfalls. We crossed Haast Pass and found it was completely dry on the other side and the sun was doing it’s best to break free from the clouds. Walking opportunities are plentiful here with tracks ranging from 20 minutes to several hours. We stopped at the Blue Pools, an easy 30 minute return walk through forest to a swingbridge and those incredibly clear, glacial blue pools. I love this area, but didn’t care much for the sandflies.

Our drive south continued and we soon found ourselves alongside Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea. The sun was now out and we stopped for a picnic lunch to soak up those gorgeous lake views. We then continued our drive, passing through a much bigger Albert Town than I remembered. We soon found ourselves on 84 headed to Wanaka, where we picked up the Crown Ridge Alpine Scenic Route via Cardrona to Queenstown.

I’m not sure how we missed this drive in the past, but I’d heard a lot about it and wanted to check it out. There wasn’t any snow at this elevation, thus we found ourselves surrounded by dry, brown mountains, which looked rather sad and forlorn. There was a light dusting of snow on the highest peaks, but otherwise the landscape was parched and completely devoid of trees. It was quite a contrast from the lush West Coast we’d passed through earlier in the day.

The drive got prettier as we made our winding decent towards Queenstown. We rejoined SH 6, turning towards Arrowtown, where we stopped at the Visitor’s Center for directions to our cottage near Lake Hayes.

Mel,
Brilliant report! Boy, you must be superfit to clock in those hours of walking! I envy you, wish I could haul my troops to do any of those walks. Thanks for the time references in some of those, I'm sure I would be able to cajole (or bribe) my couch-potato hubby and 2 teenagers to do the 30 minute ones! Are the entrances to these walks signposted from the main road well in advance? I am the official navigator on our trip and my hubby tends to need heaps of warning before we stop (I have memories of instant braking and u-turns following missed turn-offs on past holidays) . I'm particularly keen about the wildlife esp. birds that you may have encountered in your walks around Fox and Haast. Are they as abundant as the travel books say? Did you actually see some? Oh please, please say yes, this is one good reason to drag my 12-year old out of the car!

Hi bellytoo -

YES! We saw plenty of birds and I made a few feeble attempts to photograph them without much success.

Most walks in NZ are very well signed, but you'll want to keep an eye out for them. We passed a few and had to turn around. It helps if you have a general idea of where the track is located.

We've found that most track information boards are generous regarding the time involved to walk a track. We're not particularly speedy, but we generally walked the tracks in less time than the boards indicated. We found a few tracks were harder than advertised, but that might just be a testament to our age.

bellytoo -

Refresh my memory - where exactly are you going?

Hi Mel,

Here's a quick summary of our planned itinerary:
Christchurch (2 nights)
Punakaiki (1 night)
FJ (2 nights)
Haast (1 night)
Wanaka (1 night)
Dunedin (2 nights)
Te Anau (2 nights)
Queenstown (4 nights)

p.s. loved your photos from the northern end of SI - looking forward to the ones on the West Coast

Sounds like a good trip bellytoo. Glad you liked the photos. I'm uploading the West Coast pics right now - should be done in about an hour or so.

Correction to above text - Coastal Bay in Charleston should read Constant Bay. Oops.

Hi Mel!

Enjoying your report!

A note: I'm pretty sure the "mink" throw on your bed at Bay of Many Coves was the dreaded NZ pest....possum.

Regards,

The Other Mel, Melodie

Could be Mel...the resort called it mink, but who knows.

BTW - I have a lovely possum winter hat that I bought years ago in Arrowtown - I guess the only good possum is one you can wear.

Other Mel,

oh surreeee, they called it "mink" because doesn't that sound better than POSSUM?

Melnq..what you really need to do to compliment your lovely winter possum hat is get the possum nipple warmers to go with it! I'm shocked you haven't already done so. They come in a variety of colors; I brought home a lovely purple pair for a friend!

Regards,

Melodie

Actually, I have. One year we bought a pair of possum nipple warmers as a white elephant gift for a company Christmas party in Kuwait. They were a huge hit. I was tempted to pick up a willy warmer and a bellybutton warmer this time, but talked myself out of it.

Mel, those West Coast photos are great! I'm so glad we're staying overnight in Punakaiki, it's just my sort of landscape. I'll have to add the Truman track (short walk, you say?) to our list. And oh, love those pebble photos (gosh, your camera's good), hope to photograph something like that for a lecture on beach sediments - otherwise, may have to 'borrow' yours, ha-ha. I've read somewhere about a cafe that serves pancakes all day near the Punakaiki Visitor Centre, have you tried it?

bellytoo -

The Truman Track is really short - 30 minute return, which is generous.

I like to think the photographer had something to do with the photos, but maybe I'm kidding myself.

I think the pancake place is Wild West Cafe - we popped in, but didn't try the pancakes.

Our lodging – Orchard Cottage - www.the-orchard.co.nz/ - $185 per night

I absolutely loved this cottage. It’s located near Arrowtown, yet only a 15-20 minute drive east of Queenstown. It’s in a peaceful country location near Lake Hayes and Amisfield Winery. There were fresh flowers in the kitchen and a welcome bottle of wine. We both appreciated that the cottage was nicely decorated, yet free of trinkets covering every flat surface. It was spotless, spacious, bright and warm, and I could easily have taken up residence here.

After getting settled in the cottage, we drove to Queenstown, where we had a pint at Morrison’s Pub (Guinness and Bulmer’s Irish red cider on tap) where they were mid-way through a pub quiz. Too bad we hadn’t turned up earlier, as Bill is a trivia whiz.

We then had our first of three fabulous meals at Little India. We were a bit surprised at their corkage fee - $10 vs. $4 in Nelson, and as we would soon learn, $4 in Christchurch.

Day 1 –

We took Speargrass Flat Road to the Arrowtown/Lake Hayes road where we embarked on the Lake Hayes Walkway, just minutes from the cottage. It was a gorgeous morning and we really enjoyed walking this circuit around Lake Hayes. The walk is marked at 2-3 hours, but we finished in 90 minutes (5 mile loop). The path had just recently been completed and is a popular spot with the local residents.

It was such a pretty day that we decided to drive to Glenorchy. So, we were off on SH 6 via Queenstown. The road work that had created such a mess on our trip in 2005 has since been completed, and the drive to and through Queenstown was quick and easy.

I love the drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy – the views of the mountains overlooking Lake Wakatipu are eye-popping, especially when blessed with such a pretty day. After many photo stops, we reached Glenorchy, then continued on towards the Routeburn, thinking maybe we’d walk a bit of the track. Instead we found ourselves on our way to Paradise and entering Mt Aspiring National Park.

We’ve been through here before, but I keep thinking maybe I missed something, so we continued on the unsealed road, passing Diamond Lake, plowing through countless cow paddies, dodging sheep and deep ruts, and crossing four fords (no doubt a rental car violation). We drove three kilometers past where Paradise was supposed to be, although there was no sign indicating we’d actually reached it. We found ourselves surrounded by looming snow capped mountains and this is where ford #5 finally did us in. We’re curious, but not reckless.

The elusive Paradise has always intrigued me, but I’ve finally come to accept the fact that Paradise is merely a sheep and cow paddock surrounded by the spectacular scenery of Mt Aspiring National Park.

I was also curious about Kinloch Lodge, so on a whim we followed the signs and soon found ourselves on the other side of Lake Wakatipu, this time dodging heavy equipment, road damage, more fords and sheep. We have this compulsion to follow roads to their very end, so we passed the lodge and continued on, finding ourselves at the beginning of the Greenstone Track, 12 kms past Kinloch. Unable to resist a beckoning track, we soon found ourselves tramping the Greenstone. It was getting late, so we walked in an hour and turned back. We were treated to a little bit of everything – meadows, forest, river, and lots of cow poop from the critters that had somehow escaped the cow gate and found their way to the track. We thoroughly enjoyed this walk and wished we had more time to explore it (five miles, two hour return). We called in at the Kinloch Lodge for a drink and a nice chat with the proprietor, who convinced us that if we find ourselves back in NZ, we’ll have to plan a stay there.

Then it was back to Queenstown for a pint at Morrison’s Pub, where poker night was in full swing. Then Little India for a meal that was even better than the night before – fabulous Kadai chicken for Bill and Shahi paneer for me. While there, we talked to the sikh who oversees the place. He informed us that his wife’s family owns the business and he merely shows up to make sure no one gets poisoned. He gave us a card to their sister restaurant in Arrowtown, Mantra, then rattled off of list of locals who dine there, which didn’t mean much to us. Incidentally, Mantra was already on my short list, but I had no idea it was owned by the same family.

Day 2 –

It was threatening rain, so we were glad we’d visited Glenorchy the previous day. We drove to Arrowtown and embarked on the Arrow River Track, a loop around and over the river. This was a nice level walk that's probably gorgeous in the fall when the leaves change color. The three mile walk took us about an hour.

Then it was off to Amisfield Winery, which had added a bistro since our last visit. We were now in Pinot Noir country, and although we loved theirs, we bought a bottle of dry Riesling, as we’ve found Riesling goes well with Indian food. Amisfield is one spray away from being organic.

We then found ourselves back in Arrowtown lunching at Mantra. The food was very similar to that of Little India (in other words, delicious!) but less spicy and a bit more expensive. The sikh from Little India was there and he didn’t seem all that surprised to see us. Poor guy probably thought we were stalking him.

We poked around Arrowtown for awhile, and soon found ourselves back on SH 6 headed towards Cromwell. We stopped at AJ Hackett Bungy (Kawarau bridge) which has undergone some major changes since our last visit. They now have a café, an indoor viewing area and a small shop. There’s also an extended entryway that spirals down the stairs. I had to wonder if that entryway gets filled with potential jumpers during the season, and if so, it would seem a lot like queuing for a ride at Disney World.

We watched the jumpers for awhile, then decided to check out the Wine House and Kitchen, which is just down the road and pegged as an “innovative new wine tourism experience”. They offer $5 wine tastings, which include some 13 wines from three vineyards; VanAsch, Rockferry and FreeFall (hum, wonder where they got that one). We’re not the type to spit out wine, but 13 tastes was a bit much, even for the likes of us, so we were forced to control ourselves. They had a fabulous 1999 Syrah that we couldn't resist. I’m not sure what surprises me more, that the bottle survived us, or that it survived the ride home in our suitcase, but we’re holding it for a special occasion, the closest we come to cellaring.

The helpful woman pouring our wine gave us a short list of other wineries to visit in the area that she thought we’d like. A short time later we found ourselves chugging up the impressive driveway leading to Chard Farm, which was directly across the highway.

Tasted out, it was back to Queenstown where we discovered a great little place called Wine Tastes (no we didn’t have any). Here’s the site for those who might be interested:

http://www.winetastes.com/

We spent our last night in Central Otago watching the total lunar eclipse (red moon) from our cottage.

Wow, you really seem to be the NZ experts. I wish I could have as much time in NZ as you, but I do not.

I would like some advise. I am travelling to NZ in Feb from California with my 14 year old son. We only have 10 days (his winter break from school). We are flying in and out of Auckland. Since our trip is so short. I thought we would just stay on North Island. We are renting a car. He is a big skim boarder, we also are scuba divers, we like to fish (fresh and salt), white water raft, and dear old dad also loves the wineries. Do you have any suggestions for an itinerary for North Island? Is driving the best bet? Do I need to make reservations for all my lodging in advance, or can we "wing it". Our dates are Feb 15 to the 24th.

Thanks for you help.

Mark

Hi Mel
Just found and read your report on your recent trip. What a good read and great photos too. We are travelling over part of your route in Dec and found your tips about the short walks between Greymouth and Wanaka really useful. We are travelling with 3 teenagers and getting them out of the car frequently is imperative! Thanks and happy travelling (and reporting)

Hi Mel

Have just been flicking through your photos and lovely they are. You look just as I imagined !

The white flower with the large glossy leaves is an Arum Lily. They grow like weeds, difficult to get rid of once established and are very poisonous. I grew up in predominately rural Maori communities where it was considered bad luck to have them in the house. Traditionally used as a funeral flower ! Introduced.

Yes I think you're correct about the Silver Fern. To identify correctly you need to see the underside - which not surprisingly is a silvery white colour.

In NZ a mink throw/blanket is a synthetic imitation fur. Many of these are very convincing and good quality. Made in India / China !

Mark, you might want to start a separate thread with your questions; you'll probably get more responses that way.

In the meantime, you can take a look at how my husband and I spent 10 days on the North Island in April 2004 at http://community.webshots.com/user/ElendilPickle

Lee Ann

Hi there -

Internet has been down for awhile thanks to our latest series of earthquakes here in Indonesia (19 in the last day). All is well in our area, but we've been feeling the aftershocks all morning.

Heathy - thanks for the info on the white flower. I figured it had to be in the lily family - now I can label the photo correctly. Interesting about the mink, especially since the one in our room was mauve.

sistertaranaki - plenty of walks to keep the teenagers on the move - just keep your eyes peeled for the green and yellow DOC signs along the roads.

jmbay - We're certainly not experts, but we know what we like. With only 10 days I suggest you stick to the NI. Unfortunatly, I've only visited there once, and I'm not as familiar with it as I am the south. My spouse is a scuba diver and he did some diving at Poor Knights, which is 50 km NE of
Whangarei. There are plenty of wine growing regions as well - Napier, Hastings, Hawke's Bay all come to mind.

There are a several posters on this board who are well versed in the NI - suggest you start a new thread with North Island in the title to stir up some responses.

For what it's worth, this was our NI itinerary way back in 1994 -

Wellington – 1 night
Napier – 2 nights
Rotorua – 2 nights
Waitomo - 2 nights
Whitianga – 2 nights
Whangarei – 3 nights

Yes, driving is the way to go.

Apologies to all for the length of this report - I tend to get lost in the details. The end is in sight!

Hi Mel
I wonder if yours was a minx throw ? Here is the web site. ttp://www.therugs.com/BWRNMINX.htm
Please let me know. These look gorgeous and Im feeling tempted !