Road Trip (part 3)
The further south I got through New Zealand, the more dramatic and mountainous the terrain became. The roads were at times flat and fast and at times one lane bridges and tight hairpin bends. The driving had in itself become an activity, and I found myself looking forward each day to navigating the mountain roads and watching the landscapes change.
I decided on the drive to Franz Josef, a small village near a relatively famous glacier by the same name, to make as few stops as possible in order to maximise my time at the glacier itself. I was disappointed then to find out that the easy path that takes you close to the glacier has been closed for a while. The longer options took 5 and 8 hours return, which I didn’t have time for so I had to settle for a couple of viewpoints from afar. I walked to Peter’s Pool, a small but perfectly reflective glacial lake, reflecting a dramatic mountain view, and wandered a little further, but remained a little disappointed I’d rushed the drive.
Upon checking in to my hostel, I told the owner of my disappointment (I clearly wasn’t the first to have this experience) and asked if there was anywhere else worth seeing with the remaining daylight. He suggested the Okarito Trig walk, a trail up to a reference point for surveys with a good view. I’m so glad I took his advice. The trail was varied and interesting, the forest smelt great and looked pretty with the light filtering through the trees in the late afternoon, and the view from the top was panoramic. From one spot I could see beach, wetlands, lagoons, forests and snow covered mountains. I watched the sun set in to the sea at a bench on the way down and drove back to the hostel for free vegetable soup (my body appreciated the vegetables, I haven’t had enough recently) and a cosy read by the fireplace.
As I drove further south, the drama continued to increase. The Haast pass through the southern alps was full of fun twists and snow-capped peaks, and this time I stopped at various viewpoints along the way. Thunder Creek Falls was a very high waterfall next to a perfectly clear river, Fantail Falls was smaller but very peaceful. I walked to the Blue Pools, natural ponds with glacial waters giving them a deep blue colour, and past them until the trail became just a muddy field and I decided to turn back. And in one last bit of natural beauty for the day, my hostel in Makarora was remote enough to see a carpet of stars and the line of the Milky Way in the sky.