Mount Somers Adventure

We left Christchurch with our bellies full of scrumptious brunch and warm hearts after spending close to two weeks popping in and out of Sheena and Joel's home. We were eager to hit the road again and the day was favorable with hot sunshine and clear blue skies.

We were told that there was excellent climbing at the Pinnacles; a few hours hike along the Mount Somers track. We wanted a warm-up hike before heading towards Stewart Island and figured it was a great idea to combine a nice overnight trip with some challenging climbing.

We arrived at the parking lot at 5:30pm and figured it should be easy to reach the Pinnacles hut before dark. We had eaten well that day, had lots of water and were in pretty good shape...how hard could it be? I am not sure if my problem was overestimating my own fitness level or underestimating the trail but the first climb of the hike knocked me on my butt. Literally. I believe I felt every potato chip and chocolate bar (and brie cheese and bottle of champagne) I'd eaten since arriving in New Zealand. Iain was a gem, he was my personal cheering squad and he didn't stop encouraging me over the next three days. After the first big, big push up hill I changed my perspective on the hike and it got easier mentally although it was still challenging physically.

We arrived at the Pinnacles hut about 3 hours after we left the parking lot - almost right on the Department of Conservation estimate. We had passed a number of hikers heading out and they all had good things to say about the hike and the climbing although we were warned that there was a lot of loose rock on the sport climbing routes and we'd likely need helmets. Doh!

We spent the first evening hiking up through pine and fern forests, over the first ridge and then down to a creek bed. We followed the creek up for about an hour and a half watching the evening sun dance on the rippling water, hopping from water worn boulders to mossy logs. We could hear an abundance of bird life but didn't see much besides shadows flitting from branch to branch in the twilight.

The Pinnacles hut was a beautiful sight when we arrived. The light had faded to a deep dusk and all we could see was the outline of the porch against the black of the mountains behind. The stars had started to come out and after we had settled our gear onto our bunks we could see the southern cross hanging over the fields and towns that lined the horizon. It was a gorgeous night but I was too tired to fully appreciate it. After a quick dinner of pasta and a quick game of crib punctuated with huge yawns and eye rubbing, Iain and I gave in and curled up on our bunks.

The next day was another beauty - hot and clear. We could appreciate how high we had hiked as we looked out from the porch, the view was a perfect V down towards the base of the mountains. We could also see the Pinnacles behind the hut, huge formations of columnar basalt touched the sky with smaller formations of intermediate tuffs sitting like fingers reaching towards the cliffs. The scale was hard to take in with the eye - everything looked much closer than it was in reality and a ten minute hike became 30 minutes when we headed out to climb.

We only spent a half day climbing. The rock was, as we had been told, loose in spots and there were only a few routes we felt comfortable enough on to climb without helmets. The views from the routes were incredible, it really was stupendous climbing. We spent our morning climbing the tuff formations and wished we'd had the gear to climb in the basalt, however it required equipment for traditional climbing which we did not bring. That afternoon as we sat munching crackers and peanut butter with manuka honey we decided that instead of continuing to climb we would follow the Mount Somers Circle track and turn our adventure into a nice three day hike rather than an overnight climbing trip. With the decision made we packed up our rope and harnesses and headed back to the Pinnacles hut to find the trail up into the mountains.

Christchurch

Our time in Christchurch is mostly a blur of libraries, freedom camping, work research and visiting with Joel and Sheena. We spent two weeks hanging out, working on the van, working period and catching up on laundry which is a total luxury!

We did have a few highlights from Christchurch, first is the time we spent with Joel and Sheena. They welcomed us into their home regardless of how we smelled and gave us a real bed to sleep on and a real kitchen to cook in, hot showers and laundry and best of all their company! We went to a wonderful climbing area our second night with them, and after our stint with 'freedom camping' we joined them and their friends Cameron and Alison at a rugby (my first!) game. Thanks to Joel I am now a Crusaders fan - it was a great game! At the end of the match; which was the season opener; all the fans were allowed down onto the pitch to meet the players, get autographs and have photos taken. It was a pretty cool way to start my rugby education.

The other interesting thing we did in Christchurch was appear on National Kiwi TV (NZ TV3) to defend 'Freedom Camping' and the reputation of budget travellers across the country. We were pounced upon while enjoying our morning coffee in Sumner at a parking spot next to the Sumner Surf Club. We spent a number of nights in that area because it's free, there are showers and toilet facilities and it's a well lit and safe area. The woman who approached us gave us an article she printed from the internet and asked if we'd heard about the threat that all 'freedom campers should be shot' issued by the head of the NZ Motorhome Association. Of course we hadn't so she spent 10 minutes or so telling us about the history behind the article and then she asked if we would like to be on TV to be interviewed regarding the topic. Iain and I were fairly hesitant, we didn't know the program Campbell Live or what it was like, we didn't want to be ambushed on live television. However, the woman assured us it would be short and pretty 'fluffy' and so we agreed.

As the day went on we were more and more hesitant about agreeing to go on, but we'd given our word so at 5pm we went back to Sumner and met the camera crew. After all was said and done we were on live TV for 6 minutes and the guy we were defending ourselves against was named Dick and had a handlebar moustache...no matter what we said we'd look like the good guys! As soon as the taping was finished and we were extricated from our microphones and camera wires we headed to a local pub to watch ourselves on the internet. There were a few delirious phone calls "You'll NEVER guess what WE just did!!!" on the way and a lot of laughing at ourselves. We do have the strangest adventures!

We headed south out of Christchurch on Feb 21st and continued our exploits on the coast.

Can you see the kiwi?

Iain and I headed out of Totaranui in the afternoon and wound our way back to the main highway over bone-rattling gravel washboard, through beautiful coastal farm roads, up and over a snakey mountain road with hairpin curves every 100m and grades that would make a tank balk in fear. We couldn't help but laugh at the 100km/hr speed signs along the road, I was white knuckled at 40km most of the time! Thankfully Iain is a good driver and our van made it through.

After a brief stop for pies and coffee at the Bus Stop Cafe we turned our faces North again and headed towards Golden Bay and Farewell Spit. Last year Iain spent over 2 weeks in this beautiful piece of paradise woofing for a small holiday park in Farewell Spit. We hoped to visit with his friend Dean and check out the beaches and birdlife for a day or two before making our way to Christchurch.

Our luck with weather continued to hold as drove up island. We cruised through small, picturesque towns, watched the evening light illuminate the deep green valleys and burnt yellows of the pastures and finally the rich browns and blues of the enormous estuary that houses thousands of migratory birds in the Farewell Spit region. We found Iain's friend Dean managing the Farewell Garden holiday park where Iain had worked and he very generously gave us free accomodation, hot showers and fresh caught crayfish. We enjoyed a peacefull night full of stars, good conversation and my very first view of a hedgehog! It was an excellent

The next morning we headed out to see the best part of the region, Wharariki Beach and Farewell Spit, New Zealands longest sand spit. The track to the beach was a 20 minute walk through sheep and cow pastures. The farmers insert stiles for hikers so gates remain untouched but we were still wading through skittish sheep and indifferent cows. I imagine people who never interact with farm animals would find it quite fascinating...I just wish I'd worn close toed shoes, there was a LOT of manure on the track!

Our first glimpse of Wharariki beach was a blinding stretch of white sand with enormous sandstone and conglomerate rock arches carved by wind and water. The wind howled off the sand dunes behind us digging sand into every pore and scouring all the sea trash off the beach so it was pristine. There was no trace of plastic, seaweed or driftwood, just sand, rock and beach grasses.

We spent hours poking around in sea caves, climbing into tunnels that would be surge channels at high tide, watching wonderful curling waves crash onto the flattest beach I've ever seen and searching for the fur seals we knew were hiding somewhere. We eventually spotted a young British family watching something in the tidal pools further down the beach, when we went to investigate we found four seal pups playing hide and seek under a rock overhang a few feet away from two children and their parents. The seal mothers apparently leave their pups in groups hidden in rock caves and overhangs while they go fishing, we saw one adult returning to the creche about an hour after we spotted the first pups. The babies were hillarious! They were by turns curious, timid, playful and shy. They would get brave and venture out to play in the pools then they would spook and run off towards their hidey hole, tripping over their flippers like puppies trip over their huge feet. We came across two separate 'daycares', the second one had 20 or more pups in it and there appeared to be an adult left behind to watch them.

After a few hours of being sand blasted and laughing at the seal antics we decided to head back to the van and to the Spit itself to enjoy a coffee and a look through the observatory telescope to check out the bird life. The number of people allowed onto the spit is heavily controlled, there are areas that are fully off limits to people and other areas where people can go on specific tours only. There is a much smaller portion of the start of the spit where people can walk around freely, but we decided not to explore too much, we'd had enough sand for one day and knew we'd see phenomenal bird life on Stewart Island when we got there.

Our brief stay ended with one last stop at Farewell Gardens where we picked up a few T-shirts and postcards designed by Dean, enjoyed a hot shower to wash off the sand and did a few checks on the van. Then it was off to the South and Christchurch.


'Can you spot the Kiwi?' Dean Atkinson
This is a satelite photo of Farewell Spit, Golden Bay

Onto the South Island

After leaving the beautiful Cape Palliser we headed for Wellington. We spent a few days 'freedom camping' on the outskirts of the city in a picturesque little pull-out right on the water. Iains good friend Illaria lives in Wellington and it seemed a great place to catch up on some work, enjoy access to pubs, check out the awesome Museum and visit with good friends to enjoy great food and wine.

We left the city when the weather turned bad (we arrived in the rain and left in the rain) heading out of Wellington for the South Island at 2:30am. The ferry cost was $197.50 if we left at that God-awful time, otherwise we would have to pay the usual $240. We believed we would get some sleep in the line-up and on the ferry so we could keep driving as soon as we got off the ship. We were wrong. The line up was busy and we were worried we would miss the boat (they don't let you through the gates into the compound until half an hour before the sailing and they don't care if you sleep past sailing time) so we dozed fitfully from 11pm until 2am. The ship itself was a huge white box that looked a lot like a cargo carrier, rather than a people carrier. It looked like I chose the ghetto ship for our crossing! The boat was cold, the seating was awkward and the attendants mocked our freshly painted van, I wasn't feeling very charitable towards the Interislander Ferry company by the time I got off the ship 3 hours later. The crossing itself was uneventful, the weather was good so there was no noticeable rolling and they had power outlets so I could play solitaire on my computer while Iain tried to catch some sleep on the floor. The one really interesting aspect of the boat was the car deck - it had rail tracks built into it. The ferry port was right at the terminus of the rail lines and instead of transfering cargo containers onto trucks to cross Cook Straight they just loaded the rail cars directly onto the boat. It was a fascinating system and if it hadn't been 2:30 am I would have asked a lot more questions!

We made it off the boat safely and didn't say anything rude to the snickering crew as we drove away, but by the time was just peaking over the horizon we had to pull over and catch some real sleep.

When the sun rose fully it was too hot to stay snoozing in the van so we were driving again by 10:30am. We made it through Nelson and headed to the Abel Tasman park which was a beautiful drive. The last 15kms of road was rutted gravel and ended up being worth every bump! The destination was Totaranui Park, a huge Department of Conservation camp site with beautiful amenities a stunning white sand beach and entry onto the Abel Tasman Great Walk.

The two days we spent in Totaranui were very relaxed. We read in the shade, chasing it around the van until it was too hot, then we headed to the beach to explore the rocks, scavange mussels for dinner, and swim in a tidal river that acted as a conveyor pulling us from the cold ocean into the warmer fresh water of the small estuary next to the camp site.

Day three was a little busier, I was bound and determined to do some hiking to see how my fitness level was before attempting Stuart Island later in the month. Iain wanted to work on the van so I headed out on a short day walk to Separation Point to stretch my legs and see some of the Abel Tasman coastline.

The most wonderful aspect of the Abel Tasman coastline is the luxurious white sand beaches and clear turquoise water. I crossed two of these stunning beaches on my hike and if I hadn't known how cold the water was I could have walked out of New Zealand and onto the coast of Thailand. The landscape was undeniably tropical. The giant ferns and palm trees gave the forest a prehistoric feeling and with the buzz of the cicadas reaching deafening decibles I expected to see giant lizards creeping out of the bushes or sea monsters breaching in the empty coves. But, I didn't see any unusual wildlife, about two hours into my hike I saw the first of the many other hikers on the trail, when I got to the lightstation at Separation point I was waving to the boaters enjoying the sun on the flat water and snapping photos of the fur seals and Shags sunning on the rocks.

My hike lasted about 4 hours and when I made it back to the camp site I met Iain coming back from a snorkeling adventure. The clear water made for good underwater explorations. We didn't spend much more time in Totaranui, just enough to wash off the salt and plan our next destination...Farewell Spit. But that's another story!

Sorry for the delay

New Zealand has many things; beautiful landscapes, friendly people, sheep, flightless birds, manuka trees, etc. But the one thing it does not have is affordable, realiable internet access. I have been in third world countries with better internet connections than what you can find in a five star hotel here. The reason I mention this is to explain the lack of postings and the time lag between them. We'll continue to plug away at the updates and with luck we'll be current by the time we make it home in July!

Cheers!
Erika and Iain

The evolution of the Green Machine

We headed down the coastline to the southern-most tip of the North Island for a little sight seeing and camping and the high hopes of fine weather for painting our van. We drove all the way to Cape Palliser, a stunning location where you can catch glimpses of the South Island on a clear day. The lighthouse we headed to is over 200-steps straight up the side of the cliff (God only knows how they built it in the 1800's, let alone maintained it!).

I was desperate to see the fur seals, but we chose to climb the steps first - Iain promised me I'd catch a glimpse of them before we left the area. I have a love of lighthouses, it comes from living behind one I think. This one was a beauty! New Zealand has automated most of their lighthouses, just like Canada, so there are no lighthouse keepers. They are now monuments to a past filled with maritime tragedy, and tourist destinations with unparalleled views. With the wind howling around our bodies, I could only marvel at the men and women who guided ships through devastating seas...even on a clear day it was a daunting stretch of water.

After our trip up, and down much appreciated stairs we headed off to see the Fur Seal colony...and we saw BABIES!!!! Yes, I even type that in a high-pitched girly voice. How can you not when you are allowed to watch the equivalent of flipper bearing puppies frolic in the water? They were funny, adorable and loud! I could have watched them for hours, but the sun was setting and we still needed to find a place to sleep, so we headed back up the coast to the DOC camp site.

We spent 3 nights in Cape Palliser. The camp site was beside a creek bed that lay beneath huge crumbling cliffs laced with fossils and sheep tracks. The creek was fairly low but provided enough water for evening bird baths and mid-day fun for holidaying families. We were the only people in the camp ground not from the local area, let alone out of the country, it seemed to be a locals spot which made it all the more special for Iain and I.

We drove into the site with the Blue Meenie and after 3 days we headed out with the Green Machine...all the more impressive because we left no trace of our transition. Having witnessed a caravan dumping the contents of it's chemical toilet into the creek bed I felt very smug at our 'leave-no-trace' behaviour.

It had been a glorious, sunny and screaming hot 3 days but I felt no sadness at leaving the area as the weather had changed and we headed to Wellington under a cover of thick, grey cloud and horizontal rain.