The Road Goes Ever On

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Southern Coast, 1

We drove on south to old friend Invercargill (and Henry, the Tuatara) but then turned east to spend a couple days re-exploring the southern coast of the South Island. Temps were in the agreeably low 70s and 60s though there was occasional light rain and much humidity. We stopped on the sound at Fortrose, camped there, and then carried on the next day to Slope Point, then the Waipapa lighthouse, and then to Waipohatu, doing the bush loop walk with its two waterfalls (next post). Next day we visited Curio Bay before turning back to Invercargill.

On the sound at Fortrose, at a free municipal campground

Thus; or possibly something else

The Waipapa lighthouse came about after the wreck of this
ship in the 1880s, with the loss of 131 lives, merely a kilometer
off shore

Environs

Near Slope Point, southernmost bit of the South Island

Been there, done that; it was enough in 2018 merely to see the
sign

It's a windy place

After the Waipohatu hike and spending the night there, we drove
on to Curio Bay, to see again the petrified forest on a coastal
shelf there

Thus

Like a Jurassic logging truck lost its load there

Thus

Neat place

With flowers, too

On Lake Wakatipu

An hour's slow drive around to the far end of the lake, near Kingston, and we were back to the New Zealand we fell in love with in 2009...

Queenstown, 2018

Queenstown can wow you, as it did us in 2009. In 2014, it was more of an old friend. (Just enter Queenstown in the search box for my several 2009 and 2014 posts; not to be missed is my Birth of Venus pose at the Basket of Dreams, Queenstown Hill). In 2018, it was more of an old friend who has greatly changed. We checked into the favored Lakeview campground, did the wash, then walked down the hill to the downtown, mostly unchanged, and shopped our favorite shops...Kathmandu, Global Culture, Torpedo 7. A pizza dinner. Though the downtown area is still recognizable, its surroundings are vastly changed, back through Frankton, and across the lake too. Aspenization is not fully realized, but it is well underway. New Zealand is not a wealthy country. One wonders who will inhabit the thousands of new condo units. In any case, the weather was turning from warm to hot as a heat wave of historic proportions engulfed the island. We decided to head toward Antarctica...

In the Crown range

Above Queenstown and beautiful Lake Wakatipu; note jetliner
taking off from airport

Street scene

Ditto; an incredibly international place

Best Asian grocery in this part of the world

BBQ!

Concert in the square

Bradrona: The Great Bra Fence At Cardrona

We spent another night at Raspberry Creek and then drove the cruel, corrugated gravel road back to Wanaka (past the world's largest and most awful campground, at Glendhu), provisioned, and drove on, crossing the Crown range, and encountering the Great Bra Fence of Cardrona, 8th wonder of the Kiwi world, now known as Bradrona. It has grown considerably since 2014, in size and also respectability. Sort of.

Only in New Zealand

Friday, January 26, 2018

Rob Roy Glacier, 2018

We did the fabulous Rob Roy Glacier hike way back in 2009 and again in 2014, and were sure to do it again in 2018. After a brief visit to beautiful Wanaka, we drove the corrugated gravel road out into Mt. Aspiring National Park, and camped at the Raspberry Creek carpark; as in previous years. Next day, however, January 24th, we awoke to a light rain and dense low clouds that obscured all the views. The rain stopped by mid-afternoon, and I hiked about a third of the way up the trail, just to get some steps. Nothing but clouds. Bummer. Next day, however, was more promising, and so we set out on our 3rd Rob Roy hike. One of the great day hikes in the world!

Encampment

Helpful map of the area; don't think you can see Mt. Aspiring
from here; apart from Mt. Cook, it's the other big one in the
Southern Alps; glaciers certainly to match Cook's