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

Environs and the big river Rob Roy's glaciers feed

Early glimpse of the glacier

More scenic vistas
 
Almost there

NZ has (hundreds of?) thousands of waterfalls; this is one of the
longer free falls

Better part of a thousand feet, I'd guess

Panning a bit; the clouds are so low you can see only the bottom
bits of the glaciers

Panning further

Panning further still

Can't really see that there has been much glacial retreat; certainly
not like Fox or Franz Josef

The trail

Last looks

 
Waterfall City; and that's not a tenth of the panorama!

Lair fixer-upper on the gorge; subject to flooding

More of the trail: standard DOC, not as groomed, immaculate
as one of the Great Walks, but still 10-12k without a cigaret
butt or candy wrapper





























































































































































































































































Quite a few steps built recently to circumvent wash-outs

Add caption

Quite a few lairs, overhangs

The really big one

Smile!


Torrent in the gorge





























At Rob Roy