New Zealand’s south island is in a rugged and primitive “corner” of the world. The mountains rise so rapidly from the fertile plains below that the ski towns are all well below the snow line. The access roads to the ski areas are essentially 4wd dirt roads, that switchback and forth up an extremely steep mountainside. The highways are all essentially 2 lane roads, except that any water crossing will likely be in the form of a one lane bridge. The weather forecasts are hard to nail down, as storm systems approach from many different directions. There are so few people on the island, the passing signs on the highway simply say, “If there is someone behind you, let them pass”.
After landing in Christchurch, we made out way to Coalgate, a one tavern town on the road to Methven and Mt. Hutt. I quickly got used to riding shotgun on the left side of the car, on the left side of the road as we cruised down the “guard rail free” Rakaia Gorge. I never got used to looking at other vehicles, and seeing a child, or a dog in what I instinctively thought was the drivers seat. In Methven, we dined at the Dubliner, and met up with a snowmaking friend of mine, who was able to get us free tickets to ski Mt Hutt the next day.
We awoke to gloomy conditions, but up high on the mountain, it happened to be the first sunny day in two weeks. The rime ice conditions lived up to the horrors that had been described to me, but at least the sun was out. The groomers skied well, and the off piste terrain softened up nicely with the sun. Normally we would’ve seen the ocean, but we had the “Mt. Olympus” effect, as there were clouds below us in every direction, while we were in the sun.
The next day the weather turned, and the mountain was shut. We went for a short hike in the Rakaia Gorge, and played pool at the Blue pub in Methven. The pool balls, and tables are smaller in New Zealand, and the pockets are a bit different too. Still fun, at first I shot surprisingly well. The next day we would head across Arthur’s Pass and into foul weather forecasts.
We stopped at a highly recommended pie shop in Sheffield for a quick brekky. The weather on our drive never quite materialized, but it was still a bit brisk at our first stop, Castle Hill. We drove past many smaller ski areas, “the club fields”, across many one lane bridges, and across the Viaduct, a great feat of kiwi engineering. After passing several small mining towns, we made it to the west coast, where there is a lot of underutilized ocean front grazing.
Greymouth is a port city, the most industrialized of our trip, and our hotel looked like an Acura dealership. It would serve as our launching point towards Punakaiki. The Pancakes Rocks are a very touristy spot, but they are pretty cool looking. We also went on a decent hike through the jungle, where amongst palm trees and massive cliffs, we learned about 1080. It’s a controversial chemical the government uses to kill tuberculosis infected possums. The Dept. of Conservation, (Dept. of Eradication) has a wide berth, as almost every type of mammal in New Zealand is considered an invasive species.
On to the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, which, until recently had been the glaciers furthest from the poles to reach the sea. Now helicopter tours are the only way to access the glacier, and despite intermittent weather, we were able to fly. The canyons are incredibly steep, and we landed on a snowfield well below Tasman Peak, the second highest peak in New Zealand. That night we would go to the “hot pools” which I had thought were hot springs, but were just awesome public hot tubs. The next day we continued down the west coast, and stopped by the Blue Pools after a decent meal in Haast. The Blue Pools were awesome, but the only person swimming had done so to retrieve a drone they had crashed. This was one of the few non “Drone Free” areas in New Zealand.
Wanaka is an awesome ski town set right on a scenic lake. Our lodgings were a short hike down a hill, through a BMX park from downtown. Here, through the clouds, we could see the full moon, which appears upside down. It was nice to have a full month to study how the moon’s behavior is different in the southern hemisphere. The crescent fills from the opposite side, and it is in the northern sky. Treble Cone ski area is just a short treacherous drive from town. The storms we missed on the west coast had hit Treble Cone, and we would be skiing powder. Here we would see the full effect of the world’s only alpine parrot, the Kea. They are a smart, mischievous bird that terrorize com-lines, parking lots and outdoor eating areas.
Queenstown is billed as the “Aspen of New Zealand”, of course they sell themselves short. It is a cool city on another scenic lake, and the birthplace of bungee jumping. Here we would have dinner and a hot tub with a friend of mine from high school, who’s been living in New Zealand since 2001. It rained heaps for us in Queenstown, and we left for Ohau in a drizzle, forecast for clearing. At Ohau we had another great ski day, with the U.S. ski team training, and the sun constantly poking out from the clouds. The hot tub and dinner at the lodge were icing on the cake.
Luckily the skies cleared long enough for us to go see Mt. Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand, where Sir Edmund Hillary trained for Everest. He was put on the $5 bill while still alive. The clouds gathered while we were in the visitor center, and we continued on to Methven. We stayed in some cottages associated with Barker’s, the local’s craft beer bar. The night sky was finally clear, the stars were amazing and the milky way looked like a bright cloud in the sky. The next day, our fortnight in New Zealand was at an end.
