Our poor twenty year old van wheezed it’s way up the hill while we held our breath, waiting for the moment our momentum finally stilled and we rolled our way back down, but it never came. We made it and it was beautiful. Wide open valleys with dark craggy mountain peaks towering high above. Rolling hills, blanketed in stubborn wiry grasses, wildflowers abundant, broken by gargantuan boulders scattered around like the toys of a giant. Crystal clear rivers, caves and forests. For a mountain pass high up in the clouds there was a lot to see and do.
Castle Hill Conservation Area was first on our list, a short hours walk around the boulders and rocks that dot the hillside. Once a meeting place for Maori as they traveled across the mountains hunting, it's now a prime spot for bouldering and featured in the first Lord Of The Rings film. It was fun, climbing up and around, seeing how far we could get on boulders before our confidence ran out and we made our way back down to solid ground. It was also beautiful, we spent way more than an hour here, trying to get the perfect shots of the giant rocks that are scattered across the land.
From here it was a short drive the Cave Stream Scenic Reserve where we scrambled our way down the mountain side, hoping luck would hold and the pathway wouldn’t fall away as it had done in the past. The last third of the path was hard to follow - the original buried beneath a mound of loose gravel - and split off many times before it finally reached the rushing river at the valleys floor. Luckily the river was shallower near to the cave mouth, letting us cross and enter without much hassle. Admittedly we didn’t venture far into the cave, some brave folk travel through its pitch black waters for an hour to reach the other side, but that’s not for me. I doubt I’d be able to hold my nerve for that long, my mind conjured enough eldritch horrors to fill five cave systems while just peering around where the light no longer reached. Actually go inside? No thank you.
Just outside of Arthurs Pass village we decided on a small hike to see the Devils punchbowl Waterfall, we had to really with a name like that. It was a rather civilised “hike” that took us along a wooden walkway, over a suspension bridge, then up and down many many steps that feature non-slip surfaces and a handy rail. We were still winded when we arrived at the lookout, despite the hand-up we were given. The waterfall itself was beautiful if not a bit far away, the water prettily cascaded down in a misty sheet before joining the pool below. Ben, having more mountain goat tendencies than I, climbed the railing to follow a small path that led up to the waterfalls base while I was content to wait below.
One of the most photographed spots we visited along Arthurs Pass is the Otira Viaduct. The view from just above the Otira Viaduct fails to actually convey how ridiculously steep the road actually is. From the lookout it just looks scarily steep, a “I really hope my breaks are good” kind of steep. Driving down it was a different matter. I refused to go any higher than third - hoping the engine breaking would keep us at a manageable speed and I wouldn’t overheat my breaks - and even then we were steadily gaining momentum. Every time we reached sixty on the speedometer, It was time to tap-tap-tap the breaks, certain we’d take off if we went any faster. I wondered how fast we could really go down the 16% hill, all I knew is that I could see a curve coming up and it wasn't worth it to find out.
We didn’t do all of this exploring in one day but decided to stretch it over two, meaning we needed to find somewhere to stay in the middle. There was the occasional lodge if we fancied splashing out, but we chose solitude over luxury and headed off to one of the few D.O.C campsites scattered over the pass. It was four kilometres of gravel track, crossing unguarded railways lines, bridges and fords to get to Hawdons shelter campsite. It didn’t have much in the way of amenities, a covered shelter to cook in down one end of the large open field and a few long drop toilets spaced about, but what it did have was sky. Far away from light pollution, the stars shone and I can assure you, nothing beats a New Zealand night sky.
After such a basic campsite, the next night we decided to go fancy, and where better than the campsite that had won NZ’s Best camp toilets. Okay, that’s not the real reason we headed to Jacksons Retreat, it just seemed nice. One of the best parts about it was their private track through the dense jungle, we passed small streams and clambered over protruding tree roots before finally arriving at a simple waterfall. On the way back we saw another sign pointing towards a quartz quarry, we followed it and ended up lost. Turns out the staff hadn’t quite gotten round to finalising that route and were planning on blocking it off until they had, especially as we weren’t the first tourists to go astray.
Arthurs pass completed it was time to start heading towards Nelson and the job we’d bagged, but first a detour. I have to admit, Goldsborough Campsite sounded better on paper. The camper-mate description of “the site of an old gold mining town” really oversells what’s now a pretty manicured small campsite devoid of any old gold mining town buildings or infrastructure. The only thing that alludes to the places history is a small shelter with a few information boards and old mining equipment that’s been found in the creek. The other campers seemed to take things a lot more seriously than we did, their fossicking equipment all stacked outside their RV’s, ready to help them win big and find gold. We had a wander along the creek ourselves, hoping to see a glint through the water, gold that had missed by the hundreds of feet that traversed it previously. It’s amazing how many rocks take on a sunshine hue, shimmering away, unfortunately for us none of them were worth a thing so we left the camp just as poor as when we arrived.
One stop does not a proper detour make, so when we reached highway 6 we turned south and set our eyes on Hokitika. The first of many stops along New Zealands wild west coast.
Trip date : Jan 2023
great pictures and the usual fine use of words to describe places that are clearly beyond words.