l
New Zealand's West Coast - High Above the Glaciers
From bustling Queenstown to the remote West Coast and on to Christchurch. Some nice hikes, a beautiful flight over the mountains, and thru landscapes where next to nobody lives.
Queenstown 2 Christchurch
Queenstown, 15th March
Queenstown, New Zealand’s famous outdoor and adventure capital. Must be a great, super cool place – no doubt. To get a 1st impression, we check out the offers – true, there are many of them. Ziplines, bungee, skydive, you name it, you find it. A real adventure park, even if it’s clearly oriented towards people interested in man-made adventures – not existing ones. If that’s what you’re interested in – go to Queenstown.
Then, let’s see what we find in town. A striking number of outdoor shops offering the very best of the best at the highest prices possible – cool. A lot of eateries offering the usual Kiwi stuff, and all kinds of burgers – slightly cool. Many people sneaking around, many groups of boys searching for adventures – maybe it’s the lack of alternatives leading them to the ziplines, who knows. Many girls hanging around, behaving exactly how they’ve learned it in the shows of reality TV.
Of course, these boys’n’girls rarely find each other – but how to start a conversation aimed at that 1 thing with a girl answering constantly “ooohhh my god” if the boy limits his small talk to stories about ziplines. Not that cool.
And then, there’s another group: really old guys, shuffling along Queenstown’s shopping temples, sitting in overpriced eateries at the waterfront, and happy that they’ve survived the day.
Whatever, we’re just wondering who the hell might buy all this outdoor equipment.
Another day in Queenstown – and we’re on our way to the other end of Routeburn Track. To hike the 3rd leg of this hike. About 1h along Lake Wakatipu to reach the trailhead.
Then we’re ready for the hike – 20km return and 500m up’n’down on a mostly overdeveloped trail.
After 3 1/2h we arrive at the Routeburn Falls Hut.
Next to it, a pretty comfortable lodge. True, we know there’s also a luxury alternative to sneaking from 1 hut to the next, cooking for yourself, and sleeping in a dorm with numerous unwashed, snoring co-hikers: guided walks where you sleep in lodges, get 3-course meals, and guides permanently connected to the world to evacuate you within minutes should your dog at home need you. That all, of course, at a certain, non-negligible price.
Well, we wouldn’t opt for that, but should you prefer this alternative, google gets you the address.
Next to the hut a few waterfalls, the shower for a few hardcore hikers.
Then, we’re on our way back. 3h on the same trail and the road to Queenstown.
Time for a beer – or 2.
Wanaka, 17th March
The drive to Wanaka is pretty short, just 70km – about 1h. To comply with New Zealand’s strict check-out’n’check-in regulations, we need some sensational sights on the way.
So a 1st stop at the old gold mining town of Arrowtown. Today a major tourist hotspot . A street or 2 of carefully restored buildings, converted into odd souvenir shops, watering holes, or restaurants and a huge parking lot for the visiting crowd.
After our rather short visit, we head thru the nice hilly landscape of the Cardrona Valley. On the way, a visit to the historic Cardrona Hotel – quite an atmospheric place even if they have many visitors.
Despite all the sightseeing, we arrive in Wanaka a bit too early for check-in – just know, the Kiwis stand on timely check-in and check-out.
So, a walk along Wanaka’s waterfront to 1 of the most photographed trees in the world. You see the place from far away, not because of this scrawny tree in the water, but because of all these guys queuing up for a selfie. No idea why the hell this tree is so famous.
Then it’s time to go to our sleepery. True, we get a bit a prison-like room. Whatever, should that be your maso preference, go to the Brownstone Hostel and enjoy what you get for a pretty stiff price.
The next day – we need a hike. After studying all the relevant apps, we finally head to the Rob Glacier Hike, even if it’s a bit far from Wanaka and the last 30km on a gravel road.
At the trailhead, there are astonishingly few people. Well, maybe many tourists don’t dare drive a rental car on gravel roads, and the exorbitantly expensive shuttle bus may not be everyone’s taste. Who knows?
We’re on our way, on the 4h hike towards Rob Glacier.
After about 2h, we’re at a viewpoint to see the glacier in all its beauty – and at the end of the track.
Time to marvel at the view, to munch on something, and to observe other hikers arriving. By now, there are a lot of them. They’re mostly showing up in groups of 10–15 people – typically when arriving with these shuttle buses.
There’s even a posh group of sexy seniors with their watchdog who open a bottle of Champagne to celebrate their hiking success. You know, hiking in style. Yeah, you’re right, the operator didn’t provide comfy chairs for the Champagne ceremony – what a shame.
Then we’re on our way back.
And in the evening? A greasy lamb shank with a couple of beers – what else could you need?
Haast, 18th March
Enough of Wanaka, we’re on our way to Haast on the West Coast. This 140km drive is said to be 1 of the most beautiful on the South Island.
For quite some time, we follow the shores of Lake Hawea and Wanaka.
Then to a place called Blue Pools. Promoted as the bluest water in the world. So, everyone has to see them, including us.
The parking is pretty full – no wonder if these pools are that beautiful. About 20′ walk on a trail highway thru a nice forest. Then we’re approaching the pools. They even built a suspension bridge to see them from the top. Yeah, nice guys, these Kiwis.
But the water is grey, muddy, not even the slightest little bit blue. What the hell has happened?
Probably there was too much rain the night before. Or, the rumors are true that the ranger forgot to add blue color to the water. Who knows?
After that rather unspectacular visit we’re driving on. On the way a few waterfalls, and in the afternoon we arrive at our sleepery in Haast.
Time to do a lot of laundry and sip a glass of wine. There’s definitely no need to visit the village – there are just a few houses around a petrol station.
Franz Josef Village, 21st March
The next morning we drive along the west coast to the village of Franz Josef – just 120km. Fortunately, the weather is at its best – at least for the West Coast.
A glimpse on the beach and a beautiful temperate rainforest at Ship Creek.
Finally, in the early afternoon, we arrive at the tourist village of Fox Glacier. The place where you can see the glacier – and if you’re lucky, a few snow-covered mountains.
For us, it’s the opportunity for a short walk to a viewpoint on an overdeveloped trail.
Unfortunately you can’t go near the glacier, too many landslides make it impossible to continue. From the viewpoint, you can surely see the glacier. Just in the meantime it’s too far away to be really impressive.
Then we head on to our bungalow in Franz Josef village.
Another day, weather as beautiful as it can be. As we believe in the Kiwi’s MetService, we’ve booked a scenic flight for today. A tour that takes us to the other side of the Divide, Mt. Cook, and so many other highlights that non-mountaineers would never get to see otherwise.
Most visitors just hop on a chopper, land on a glacier for a few minutes, and head straight back to the village. Just why the hell would we do that? We’ve been on glaciers before – not just 10′ with a chopper that costs twice as much as our long scenic flight.
By 10am, we’re at the tiny airport. 3 other passengers and the pilot are already waiting, buzzing with anticipation. Then we’re off – gliding above glaciers, threading between jagged rocks, and skimming past summits that seem close enough to touch.
After 1h we’re back at the airport. Now, is it worth the whole effort? Easy to answer: yes, just look at the pics. All that at an astonishingly competitive price compared to similar offers elsewhere in the world.
Back to Franz Josef village. We still have 1 1/2 days here. And our problem is that it will be difficult to top the experience of our flight.
Whatever, there are still a few small walks in the area. To start with Lake Matheson – the famous mirror lake. You don’t need to look at the mountains to see them, just see them reflected in the lake’s water. Great isn’t it? Provided there are no clouds.
It’s an extremely touristy place. Seems to be a top destination for Chinese tour buses. Whatever, it’s just a short walk.
Let’s have a look at these mini-walks in the Franz Josef Valley. Maybe more interesting. Well, we can not see too much of the glacier. Similar to the Fox Valley, the trails are partly closed because of landslides.
And don’t expect to be in pure nature, enjoying the singing birds, the roaring deer, and the whispering wind in the leaves of the pristine forest. No, you’re directly under the chopper route bringing all these tourists to their glacier adventures. And also be aware that there’s a chopper every 2-3′ directly above your head. Whatever, the walks are pretty short and not too spectacular.
Christchruch, 6th March
We’re on our way to Arthur’s Pass, some 230km to drive. It’s easy, we have to bring back our beloved rental car Rusty and get a new 1 to continue our trip. Unfortunately, the guys of the rental company are not flexible enough to extend the contract – what a shame.
And for us, we didn’t correctly estimate how long we need a car for the South Island.
On the way a short stop at the Hokitika Gorge to marvel the blue water – this time it’s really blue.
In the afternoon we arrive at our sleepery in Arthur’s Pass village. Yeah, we have to park poor Rusty not far from this guy – hopefully it will not munch on all rubber parts of the car. Well, we’ll see.
The next morning, the great surprise: we come to know that the road to Christchurch is closed. A diesel spill somewhere along the way. Nobody has an idea how long it may take. We get estimates from 5′ to 5 days. Whatever, after consulting the alternative – a 4-5h detour – we risk it.
Yeah, it’s a nice drive. Next to no cars on the road. After 20km we have to stop. It’s not the diesel spill, no, just a rockfall. After 1/2h all the rocks seem to have fallen, we quickly leave this dangerous zone. Soon after there’s a long line of oncoming cars – the road seems to be open again. What a relief. Sometime later we come to the place where the fire brigade is still busy cleaning the road, pass the area with its typical smell of fuel and finally arrive early afternoon in Christchurch.
We head straight to a car wash to clean Rusty. Be aware, if you’re renting a car in New Zealand, the guys expect you to bring it back all clean’n’tidy. If not, they threaten with exorbitant cleaning fees – and who needs that? Yeah, sometimes they have strange habits, these Kiwis.
Dear readers,
that’s it for the time being.
If you want to know more about Rusty’s destiny or our boring adventures, just be patient, remain jealous, and wait impatiently for the next post.
Cheeeers
Monika’n’Martin