NZ Roadtrip south island day 5-11
Door: Eelco
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Eelco
06 Januari 2013 | Nieuw Zeeland, Picton
Hokitika, Greymouth, New Year, Golden bay, Abel Tasman park, Nelson, Marlborough sounds and Picton
Day 5: Unfortunately our glacier walk was cancelled again due to the bad weather. It’s not all too bad since it saves a lot of money. We travelled on to Hokitika known for pounamu (greenstone or jade) and a lot of driftwood on the beach. A short trip inland brought us to a lake, a waterfall and a blue river. In the late afternoon we arrived at Greymouth. At the hostel a nice old lady had brought sweets for New Year’s Eve. So I got to try pavlova, a baked mixture of eggwhite and sugar, and some other sweet foods. In the evening me and Michael went to a bar for a party. Pretty quickly after we arrived we found ourselves dressed up in toga’s as there was a toga party going on. Since Greymouth is probably one of the least likely places to spend New Year’s the party was small, but it was nice and the beer was cheap.
Day 6: We slept in on January 1st. In the afternoon we went for a walk around town and we found that Greymouth really lives up to it’s name. The bad weather was part of it, but it’s one of the most grim places I have ever been in my life. Everything is grey. It might have been a thriving town during the coal mining times but that glory has passed. We ended the day on a happier note at the Monteith’s brewery, trying out some of the beers.
Day 7: We left Greymouth early because we had a long trip ahead. First stop was the Punakaiki pancake rocks. Unfortunately the stormy weather rained away part of the experience as we ran through to walk. It is an awesome place and we would have loved to stay longer, but within 10 minutes we were completely soaked. Even our newly bought rain jackets could not cope with it. Driving on along the coast brought us to Westport. From the cape foulwind lighthouse we had a lookout over the stormy sea. Going inland we passed Buller Gorge. The swingbridge and area should have been nice to visit but with the rain we did not want to spend time there. Our final stop was Takaka at Golden bay, we were supposed to sleep in a dormroom, but they had upgraded us to a complete house that we shared with a nice Canadian couple. We heard from someone at the backpackers that they had closed a lot of roads on the westcoast due to the heavy rainfall which can cause rockfall, so it seems we got out of there just in time. I had broccoliflower (a crossing between broccoli and coliflower) for dinner, it had not seem it before. Iit was interesting as the flavours blend a bit but the bite is different. Since it was still raining we stayed inside and had a chat and played a scrabble-like game called crosshand poker before going to bed.
Day 8: Finally the weather cleared up! Driving along the coast lead us to the farewell spit at the north of the south island. Walking on the windy dunes between the Golden bay and the Tasman sea was really cool, especially with the nice weather. After a day spent walking on the beaches we arrived in Motueka, just under the Abel Tasman national park, where we would spend the night. But before that we drove up to one of the hidden gems in New Zealand I think, the Harwood’s Hole. An hour drive on an unsealed road brings you to the centre of the Abel Tasman park. From there mountainbike tracks start but also the walk to the Harwood’s Hole. This place is hardly mentioned in any tourist book, but the description of a hole in the ground of 70m wide and 357m deep intrigued us to go and have a look. The walk to the hole brings you through a Lord of the Rings like scenery of big rock that you have to climb over. We really felt like middle earth people. Unfortunately the sun was going down and we wishes we had gone there earlier. It was very hard to take pictures and we had to go through the walk very quickly to be back before dark. We expected to be looking down the hole, but when we arrived we found ourselves about 100m below the top. So we could look up and down. It’s very impressive and totally lives up to it’s numbers! After quickly taking some pictures and a video, we hurried back the 40 min walk over the rocks arriving back just after dark. This truly was an awesome day. On the way back I got my first alcohol test which I passed as well:)
Day 9: This day we would visit the Abel Tasman park. We took a watertaxi from Marahau to Anchorage which lies at the coast about 4 hours walk into the park. It is a really beautiful place with truly golden beaches. During the 4 hour walk back we enjoyed the scenery and the relaxing on the beaches. The walk is quite easy and I was able to complete it on jandals (NL: slippers). In the evening we drove back via kaiteriteri to Nelson where we stayed at Paradiso backpackers. This was a recommendation from another backpacker we met a Greymouth. The hostel has a spa, a pool, a beachvolleyball field and a tv loung in an old bus. We only stayed the night there but there sure was enough entertainment to stay longer.
Day 10: In Nelson lies the ‘middle point’ of New Zealand. Marked by a big needle on top of a hill, with a nice view of the city. After visiting this landmark we took the scenic route through the Marlborough sounds to Picton. On the map it doesn’t look like a big drive, but the winding road keeps the average speed down at around 40km/h. The drive has very nice lookouts and we had a nice swim and relaxing time at one of the beaches. After arrival in Picton I started preparing for the crossing on the ferry to Wellington. After throwing away a lot of stuff I still have my suitcase fully packed and 3 other backpacks stacked with stuff. I will need to sort some stuff out before I can get on the plane back. We had a short stroll along the harbor. The area is very nice but not too big. There is not really anything else to do in Picton. For dinner we ate all the stuff that we had left. This meant peas, baked beans in tomato sauce and pasta with chopped tomato, onion and pineapple sauce. This taste was not too bad. In the evening we made backups of the pictures and made the final balance. Unfortunately New Zealand is being expensive for me, but it is worth it.
Day 11: The fellowship breaks up as the south island roadtrip ends. After breakfast we pack our stuff and say bye to Dominik who leaves for Kaikoura and Christchurch. Michael and me wait for our ferry at 14.25h. Between 11 and 12 our friend Axel and his sister are coming the other way from Wellington. We will catch up with them and have lunch together before we take the ferry and they go back to Christchurch. We are all planning to have a get-together somewhere in Europe next year so we will meet again then.
Time to go to the other side!
For more adventures!
Day 5: Unfortunately our glacier walk was cancelled again due to the bad weather. It’s not all too bad since it saves a lot of money. We travelled on to Hokitika known for pounamu (greenstone or jade) and a lot of driftwood on the beach. A short trip inland brought us to a lake, a waterfall and a blue river. In the late afternoon we arrived at Greymouth. At the hostel a nice old lady had brought sweets for New Year’s Eve. So I got to try pavlova, a baked mixture of eggwhite and sugar, and some other sweet foods. In the evening me and Michael went to a bar for a party. Pretty quickly after we arrived we found ourselves dressed up in toga’s as there was a toga party going on. Since Greymouth is probably one of the least likely places to spend New Year’s the party was small, but it was nice and the beer was cheap.
Day 6: We slept in on January 1st. In the afternoon we went for a walk around town and we found that Greymouth really lives up to it’s name. The bad weather was part of it, but it’s one of the most grim places I have ever been in my life. Everything is grey. It might have been a thriving town during the coal mining times but that glory has passed. We ended the day on a happier note at the Monteith’s brewery, trying out some of the beers.
Day 7: We left Greymouth early because we had a long trip ahead. First stop was the Punakaiki pancake rocks. Unfortunately the stormy weather rained away part of the experience as we ran through to walk. It is an awesome place and we would have loved to stay longer, but within 10 minutes we were completely soaked. Even our newly bought rain jackets could not cope with it. Driving on along the coast brought us to Westport. From the cape foulwind lighthouse we had a lookout over the stormy sea. Going inland we passed Buller Gorge. The swingbridge and area should have been nice to visit but with the rain we did not want to spend time there. Our final stop was Takaka at Golden bay, we were supposed to sleep in a dormroom, but they had upgraded us to a complete house that we shared with a nice Canadian couple. We heard from someone at the backpackers that they had closed a lot of roads on the westcoast due to the heavy rainfall which can cause rockfall, so it seems we got out of there just in time. I had broccoliflower (a crossing between broccoli and coliflower) for dinner, it had not seem it before. Iit was interesting as the flavours blend a bit but the bite is different. Since it was still raining we stayed inside and had a chat and played a scrabble-like game called crosshand poker before going to bed.
Day 8: Finally the weather cleared up! Driving along the coast lead us to the farewell spit at the north of the south island. Walking on the windy dunes between the Golden bay and the Tasman sea was really cool, especially with the nice weather. After a day spent walking on the beaches we arrived in Motueka, just under the Abel Tasman national park, where we would spend the night. But before that we drove up to one of the hidden gems in New Zealand I think, the Harwood’s Hole. An hour drive on an unsealed road brings you to the centre of the Abel Tasman park. From there mountainbike tracks start but also the walk to the Harwood’s Hole. This place is hardly mentioned in any tourist book, but the description of a hole in the ground of 70m wide and 357m deep intrigued us to go and have a look. The walk to the hole brings you through a Lord of the Rings like scenery of big rock that you have to climb over. We really felt like middle earth people. Unfortunately the sun was going down and we wishes we had gone there earlier. It was very hard to take pictures and we had to go through the walk very quickly to be back before dark. We expected to be looking down the hole, but when we arrived we found ourselves about 100m below the top. So we could look up and down. It’s very impressive and totally lives up to it’s numbers! After quickly taking some pictures and a video, we hurried back the 40 min walk over the rocks arriving back just after dark. This truly was an awesome day. On the way back I got my first alcohol test which I passed as well:)
Day 9: This day we would visit the Abel Tasman park. We took a watertaxi from Marahau to Anchorage which lies at the coast about 4 hours walk into the park. It is a really beautiful place with truly golden beaches. During the 4 hour walk back we enjoyed the scenery and the relaxing on the beaches. The walk is quite easy and I was able to complete it on jandals (NL: slippers). In the evening we drove back via kaiteriteri to Nelson where we stayed at Paradiso backpackers. This was a recommendation from another backpacker we met a Greymouth. The hostel has a spa, a pool, a beachvolleyball field and a tv loung in an old bus. We only stayed the night there but there sure was enough entertainment to stay longer.
Day 10: In Nelson lies the ‘middle point’ of New Zealand. Marked by a big needle on top of a hill, with a nice view of the city. After visiting this landmark we took the scenic route through the Marlborough sounds to Picton. On the map it doesn’t look like a big drive, but the winding road keeps the average speed down at around 40km/h. The drive has very nice lookouts and we had a nice swim and relaxing time at one of the beaches. After arrival in Picton I started preparing for the crossing on the ferry to Wellington. After throwing away a lot of stuff I still have my suitcase fully packed and 3 other backpacks stacked with stuff. I will need to sort some stuff out before I can get on the plane back. We had a short stroll along the harbor. The area is very nice but not too big. There is not really anything else to do in Picton. For dinner we ate all the stuff that we had left. This meant peas, baked beans in tomato sauce and pasta with chopped tomato, onion and pineapple sauce. This taste was not too bad. In the evening we made backups of the pictures and made the final balance. Unfortunately New Zealand is being expensive for me, but it is worth it.
Day 11: The fellowship breaks up as the south island roadtrip ends. After breakfast we pack our stuff and say bye to Dominik who leaves for Kaikoura and Christchurch. Michael and me wait for our ferry at 14.25h. Between 11 and 12 our friend Axel and his sister are coming the other way from Wellington. We will catch up with them and have lunch together before we take the ferry and they go back to Christchurch. We are all planning to have a get-together somewhere in Europe next year so we will meet again then.
Time to go to the other side!
For more adventures!
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