Arthur's Pass National Park

Early Saturday morning, Emily, Tiffany, and I climbed into Tiffany's compact, white, Toyota Vitz and followed the signs out of town. Within just a few minutes, we emerged from suburban sprawl into farm country northwest of Christchurch. It was only after about an hour of driving that the flat, sheep-dotted farmland began to grow and spring up into hills, and then later explode into fierce mountains. While several 4x4 trucks, SUVs, and other more intrepid vehicles accelerated past the right, our wee coupe cautiously tugged up and around winding mountain-side. There, our careful, ear-popping ascent through the clouds rewarded us with sun-washed, wide, expansive views of the Waimakariri Valley, which is hidden by mountains and provides a quiet alcove for large, turquoise ponds, more sheep and dairy farms, and the Arthur's Pass National Park and Village.

After crisscrossing the valley and its narrow and gravelly riverbed, we pulled into Arthur's Pass Village and checked into our cottage at the Mountain House in the center of the mile-long town. For only $28 (NZD) for the night, we stayed in a cottage with a fully stocked kitchen, dining room, two bathrooms, a wood-burning stove (complete with freshly chopped logs and kindling), and a triple room for three to sleep with clean sheets and duvet. We shared the house with a newly married couple--she from Australia, he from Germany--and a slumbering, snoring tourist whom we never met.

After receiving a map and some counsel from the visitor's centre, we decided to start the weekend off on a leisurely climb up Bealey Spur, where we ducked in and out of beech forests and over the mountain ridge. We chose this track not only for its relative ease (which actually turned out to be a good, challenging hike up), but also for its promised views of Arthur's Pass, the Waimak River, and valley.

After recovering from our hike and being reinvigorated by reading back-copies of NZ's "Wilderness" magazine, we decided to check out a short (30 min.) walk to the Devil's Punchbowl Falls. Ignoring the red tape barring us from climbing the unfinished stairs, we crossed the stream and walked up and through the forest until we reached the height of these spectacular falls. After about a hundred or so wooden stairs, we came upon a large wooden landing hanging in front of the falls and over the resulting pool. As the sun fell behind us, we stood there for some time listening to the cacophonous rush of the water column and admiring the rainbow cast at its base (which you can see in the picture below).

At home, we shared dinner with the combined groceries we brought--I contributed the cheese, crackers, and hummus--, built a fire, showered, read, and talked with the Australian newlywed about her future in Germany and travels thus far, the most exciting of which was hiking the famous Franz Josef Glacier.

Waking early, we made a large pot of oatmeal, checked out of our cozy mountain cottage, and headed off to climb Avalanche Peak. This challenging, terrifying, exhilarating, and surreal hike took us over mountain streams, past hidden waterfalls, through greener and wetter beech forest. The steep (persistently >30 degrees) hike to an elevation of 1833 meters (=6014 ft or 1.14 miles) took us beyond the tree and bush line where sparse green, blue, purple, and orange lichens, and wild mountain flowers grow on and between the crags. Unlike the day before, the sun was blocked by gray, quickly-moving clouds that blew around us as we climbed rocky, narrow mountain ridges. Thankfully my MacPac triple layer Gortex shell kept me reasonably dry and comfortable (unsolicited product placement for NZ outdoor gear).

The physically and psychologically difficult ascent was eased by a Kea bird (NZ's alpine parrot) who appeared just at the tree line and flew with us as we climbed to the peak. These birds are endemic to NZ alpine regions of the south island, are fairly common, and easy to spot since they like humans. (While I was resting on a rock, it crept up behind me and pecked at my backpack.) As it flew around the mountain, displaying its red plumage under its wings, and bobbed among the mountain grasses, we were entertained and distracted from the steep, rocky drops below and sharp and seemingly ceaseless climb above.

As we reached the top, we were surprised by a electric blue glacier on a mountainside across the way. I had never seen one before, and although it was not extremely large or very near, its grandeur, beauty, and energy was not lost on us.

Our slow painful descent left my legs feeling like spaghetti. After the road thankfully emerged from the bush, we walked with a Kea-like wobble back to the visitors center for coffee, food, and a place to sit and rest. Feeling like we had just returned from some fantastical, untamed world, we climbed back into the Vitz and followed route 73 back over the one-lane bridges over the valley and down from the mountains. While the hay-rolls, sheep, and cows quickly turned to homes, strip malls, and convenient store, our heads remained in the clouds of Arthur's Pass and Avalanche Peak. I'll be sore for a week, but it was worth it.

Classes start on Tuesday . . . wish me luck.








Cheers,

Dana