waterfalls

Te Anau and Milford Sound

Drove through Arrowtown and Garston on our way to Te Anau. Te Anau is one of the entry ways into Milford Sound. When we got there we were told the road to Milford was closed due to an avalanche and they were hoping to have it open mid morning the next day. We all crossed our fingers. Luckily it did open up but just for one day. The day after we were there, it closed again and was closed for at least a week. The weather can be unpredictable and severe. It was raining the day we went and everybody said it was a good thing because there would be lots of waterfalls. It did not disappoint. As always, click for larger view.

Harrison’s cove, Milford Sound

Over the Alps to the West – New Zealand

We flew from Auckland to Christchurch and got up early the next day to board the TranzAlpine railway. The TranzAlpine is considered one of the world’s great train journeys because of the scenery. It is 139 miles one-way, takes almost 5 hours, goes through 16 tunnels and four viaducts. The route takes it from Christchurch through the Canterbury Plaines, past the Waimakariri River to Rolleston. It then passes through the Southern Alps past the Waimakariri River gorge via Arthur’s pass and ends in Greymouth on the West Coast. We rode it as far as Arthur’s pass.

From there we were on a bus to Hokitika. Hokitika is a beach town on the west coast known for its Pounamu. Pounamu is also known as Greenstone or nephrite jade. The stone is important to the Maori culture. Not all Pounamu is jade. Pounamu can only be found in New Zealand whereas some of the greenstone found in shops is jade from other countries. There are many different kinds of Pounamu, distinguished by the color. 

We overnighted in Franz Joseph and took a jetboat on the River Haast the next day. It was a rainy day and we were the last people allowed on the river due to high water levels. Lots of waterfalls.

The west coast is wet and tropical. As soon as you cross over the alps to the east, the climate changes quite drastically. Back over the Alps again and on to Queenstown.