Today we got up super early and checked out of the cottage. It was rather sunny and there was no sign of any ominous looking cloud, so we thought we would make the most of the good weather. This meant our first stop was the Arthur’s Pass visitor centre, where we got some advice on a short tramp we could do – the lady recommended the Devil’s Punchbowl Falls walk.
Next we decided to have some form of sustenance for this excursion, so popped into the cafe/shop. When we’d been in there yesterday, they’d just been about to close which we figured was why there was not much there, but even though they had only been open a little while when we arrived this morning, there still seemed to be very little in the way of food! Anyway, I had a ‘latte bowl’ which was literally a bowl of coffee and a very good coffee it was too and Andrew had a pot of tea.
The cafe suddenly got really busy – it looked like a Saga bus had just arrived in town or something and an old American lady came over and asked what I was drinking as it looked good (it really did just look like someone had poured coffee into a bowl, so what on earth she thought it might be, I really do not know). Somewhat bemused, I sat there watching the world go by and wondering how on earth all these people were going to be fed and watered, given the fact that the shelves were bare, then I did a double take. Amongst the sea of wrinkled, old faces was one without wrinkles; one I recognised – it was Nikky!
So I did what any friend would do; scare the pants of her – I snuck up behind her and slowly draped my arm around her shoulder, stroking it. She didn’t move, which meant it was working and she really was confused! When she did eventually turn around a few seconds later, her face was a picture – she did the double take thing, then her jaw dropped open and we both had an OMActualG moment, before throwing our arms around each other in a massive hug! I dragged her over to meet Andrew and we then continued our OMActualG moment in the middle of the seating area, meaning that now all the Saga people were staring at us! It was so funny and so random. Nikky had been in Christchurch when I was there (unbeknown to me at the time) and had got on a bus from there this morning, going to Greymouth, to begin her NZ tour on a Stray bus. The bus to Greymouth had just stopped at Arthur’s Pass for people to get a bite to eat and use the facilities. So it really was pretty fluky that we were there at the same time! I think in the fifteen minutes we were together, we must have spoken at 200 miles an hour, as we had so much to say and so little time! It was so cool seeing her, I think I must’ve gone on and on about it for ages after she left!
Andrew and I then headed to the start of the Devil’s Punchbowl Falls walking trail. The walk itself was really beautiful, as we climbed further up the pathway, across the bridges and along the walkways, the views became more and more impressive, especially as the sun shone down and bounced off the mountains, giving each one a different look and making some shine brightly. The odd cloud in the sky cast small shadows over the mountains which added to the effect. The trees were also quite pretty when the sun shone off them and the water glistened as we crossed over the fast-running stream.
At the top of the walk, we could see where the water was originating from; a waterfall high above our heads and we watched the water cascade down. It was crystal clear as it passed underneath us and headed down the mountain, creating lots of splashes and spray and making the black rocks look super shiny. It was a worthwhile walk, certainly a good idea on such a glorious morning.
Back at the car, we continued our road trip. Leaving Arthur’s Pass behind us, we headed to Reefton. This leg of the journey was really beautiful – yesterday’s drive had been marred by the rubbish weather but this morning’s sunshine made for a far more interesting view the whole way along. I might go so far as to say I actually thought it was rather nice – am I beginning to like NZ? Hmmmm, not sure yet, but it looked a hell of a lot better than it did yesterday!
When we arrived at Reefton, I was quite surprised. The best way to describe it was that, to me, it looked a bit like a kind of fake town that you might get at a theme park- like a wild west theme. The main street was quite wide and dead straight with shops down it with large, ornate, wooden frontages, and if you used a bit of imagination and kind of ignored what the signs said and pretended everything was brown, then it really could have been a scene out of a John Wayne film! After going to the visitor centre (how/why do these tiny places have visitors centres?!?!) I discovered that the town itself was originally the home of the big gold rush, hence I guess the kind of archaic look to the town.
We went into a cafe and had a spot of lunch, enjoying dining alfresco in the sunny garden area. After that, we had a wander up and down the main street – there really was not a lot to it. I would love to know where the local people go to buy things that are not hunting gear, milk, garden chairs or second hand clothes!
Having decided that we had exhausted the excitement of Reefton, we jumped back in the car and headed on our way to Hanmer Springs. The drive again was quite spectacular at points, especially when the sun shone down over the immense valleys that stretched off into the distance. We gained a lot of altitude which made for even more impressive views. I nearly caused Andrew to crash the car several times by shouting ‘Orc!’ at random intervals, for no real reason other than there was actually nothing around us other than scenery! I don’t think this is particular Lord of the Rings filming territory, but it certainly could be! Again, I must concede that it is beautiful.
We arrived at Hanmer Springs and checked into the YHA. Whilst Andrew took a well earned nap from all the driving, I had a look at some of the leaflets and general information guff in the lounge and sat down next to the fire and read the newspaper. The NZ news is rather lacking in meaty stories, so that exercise did not take very long at all.
For dinner, we walked up the road and came to a decent looking pub where we had a very nice dinner and unofficially took part in the pub quiz that was going on whilst we ate. We were quite impressed at how many questions we actually got right! Then we once again braved the cold and headed back to the YHA.
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