Aug 2023 – B' on Tour

Hiking Volcano Ruapehu

On Monday morning 9th January I prepared to hike Volcano Ruapehu. I was up quite early and it was sought to be a very nice day. The weather forecast already showed this fine weather window a week ago. Hence, I made first my trip to the East Cape, which I though is only a short hike, and I could do also in miserable weather (in the end I couldn’t do it at all). I was lucky anyway, because one week later the Gisborne region was flooded again when Ex-Cyclone Hale hit. Initially I thought I stop with the train in Ohakune, climb the volcano, and then just take the next train. The first issue is, that the train only stops a few times a week (ok, one could manage that), but then the more severe one is that there is no public transport to the Turoa Village. Well, nice name but basically it’s just the end of the road 20km from Ohakune at the Turoa Ski Area. One could’ve taken the bicycle up the hill, but I didn’t have one either, and hitch-hiking to a dead-end road is always a bit risky. So, in the end of the day, I used my rented car and drove up the mountain on early Monday morning. I already could see the summit. There was only a few clouds to the east with prevailing westerly winds. It would be a perfect day to climb.

Volcano Ruapehu at a splendid sunny Monday morning

When I arrived at the gigantic car park, there was no other car. I assume that even in winter season, when Ohakune is full of tourists, everyone drives those 40 km return each day in their own car, as there is no ski bus available. And nobody would come with the train, on an electrified railway, anyway, because it would be too inconvenient. Hence, everyone goes on the road in their individual car. Good on you NZ. Volcano Ruapehu has several volcanic vents, and I climbed Tahurangi the highest one. The carpark is at about 1630m elevation. For the next 400m you basically follow a gravel road through the ski resort. All the houses and bars are empty. The ski resort in summer looks like a ghost town and everything looks run down. After the last Café for the skiers, you follow a narrow track easily to the last top station of the chair lift which is at about 2300 m. This took me about 2h to get there.

Massive carpark (looks more like an UFO landing zone) to accommodate all day tourists, instead of having shuttle ski buses

The ski bars and cafés look run down during summer

Now the tricky part starts. After the top station you need to cross a southside neve field which is about 40m wide. In the early morning the neve was still hard. I could see and old track, but as I had no crampons or ice axe with me, I was super careful and made sure each step I made was solid. The last 1.5m of the neve was blue ice. I saw a big rock glued into the ice about 2m above me. I made two steps up, then made sure the rock was really solid in the ice, and not just on top, and then I used it as hold and made a big bridging step to the right. Now that was the first tricky part. I followed the ridgeline, but it was wide and more like a mountain spine. There was a glacier to my right, but no necessity to step onto it. And some other neve or snowfields could be easily circumvented.

Neve Field to cross with the glued in rocks into the ice on the other side (photo was taken on the way back, when the snow was much softer)

It appears that there are some crevasses in that neve field and the ski resort put some signs into them

Stunning view to the south-east at this Monday

Once climbing up and looking to the side, you realise how steep it is (but it’s not that bad, maybe 30° I would guess)

The last maybe 100m to gain the main crater ridge became again a bit tricky. There were some loose rocks just on top of blue ice. And the blue ice was in between solid rocks. So, there was 1 or 2 delicate steps to get from one solid point to the next one, without having crampons. I made sure every step was save, and when using had snow as step, that I’m not slipping away. After this passage I was basically on the main ridge line. I packed out my down jacket, as it was super windy. On top the wind already blew away the snow. Hence, the last 10min to the summit were quite easy, except that you don’t want to fly away by the wind. The summit was just amazing. About 400m below me was the turquoise crater lake. It was partly covered in clouds, and depending on the wind gusts opened up the view a bit more or less. I couldn’t see Lake Taupō, as the good weather was only on the western side, whereas to the north-east it was still overcasted at about the altitude of the summit. While I was looking around the mountain crater, I thought it would’ve been possible to do a full traverse, with a bit more preparation incl. crampons and ice axes. But this would even more complicated from a logistics point of view as someone need you to pickup at the Iwikau village on the other side of the mountain (and if it is as populated as the Turoa Village, then good luck). I returned the same way as I ascended. The loose rocks were the same difficulty, but the neve field was now much softer and easier to cross. Once I was back at the carpark a few more tourists drove by and made some pictures before returning. I used one of the fix installed tables at the base station of the ski resort, one of the workers looked at me but didn’t say anything, to turn on the kettle and have a coffee and late lunch before driving down the mountain. Well driving, I just put the gear shift into neutral and literally rolled all the 20km down the mountain into Ohakune. That was my lowest fuel consumption at all. Unfortunately, the car was not a hybrid and couldn’t store the break energy. Back in Ohakune it was a warm summer day, so I treated myself to an ice cream.

This was the second tricky passage, which most of the rocks just loose on top of the hard snow and ice, I had to delicately navigate my way through it

Reaching the main crater line with the cloud cover to the north-east

…with the main crater ridge to the left…

…stunning lookout and colours, with a lot of snow and ice behind me.

I continued my drive to the North in the late afternoon. I circumvented basically the Volcano Ruapehu on its western side. I still could see my ascent route to Tahurangi from the distance, and the neve fields I needed to cross. I stopped at the memorial of the last spike of the North Island Main Trunk which was driven in on the 6th November 1908 and completed the railway line from Auckland to Wellington. Shortly afterwards is the massive Makatote Viaduct over the Makatote River. Shortly before National Park I turned to the East. From here I had some last nice views of Volcano Ruapehu and with the much lower Volcano Hauhungatahi in front of it.

The South-Western Face of Volcano Ruapehu

The last spike of the North Island Main Trunk was driven in here

Volcano Hauhungatahi in front of Volcano Ruapehu

I followed the road towards Lake Taupō. I made a brief stop at a lookout on top of the lake with the Tokaanu Power Station and its tailrace canal below me. I continued my drive on the Western Shore of Lake Taupō to Waihaha River, which is a start point of the Great Lake Trail. There was only one other car was parked on the carpark (for pickup once finished cycling I suppose), but I could see donuts on the gravel ground, and was more afraid of stone chipping on my rental car when the bogans come in the night. But lucky me, it was Friday night and nobody else turned up. I had a short walk in the evening along the Waihaha river to the nearby bridge to enjoy the tranquillity. The carpark had also an open shelter with a simple bench. Perfect to make dinner and have breakfast.

Lake Taupō with the Tokaanu Tailrace Canal

Tranquil Waihaha River (I think the plants on the right were introduced and considered now weeds)

East Cape

Saturday morning 7th January I continued my drive towards Gisborne through the green hills of East New Zealand. In Gisborne I went to the local library for a few hours on Saturday morning, and it only had limited seats, if you want to work on your own laptop. There were only some kind of bar seats, and a limited amount of electricity plugs. There were even signs, that you were not allowed to charge your own devices 🤔. Afterwards I got provisions, water and fuel as the drive further to the East is into very sparsely populated area. Once I left Gisborne behind me it was a beautiful drive through green forests on a rainy day. The road to Te Araroa was sealed, which actually surprised me. After Te Araroa it’s a gravel road, and due to the recent rainfalls you could even say in parts muddy. Luckily it rained afterwards, and washed away all the mud from the white rental car 😉. But this was the main reason I needed a car, as I wanted to visit the East Cape. I had late lunch at the shelter at the East Cape Campsite where I was sheltered from the wind. Nobody was there, I had a nice view to the rough sea, but otherwise it would’ve been quite exposed to camp there.

I’ve never came across that street sign…having seals on the road is even more unique than kangaroos 😜

The gravel road is 20 km from Te Araroa to the East Cape (one way). The last few kilometres were really slippery and just a few metres off the stormy sea. The guard rails also looked more like for the optics. In the end I made it to the end of the road. I was surprised there was even a public toilet (and apparently free WiFi – but I actually didn’t check if it would work). As it was raining and a bit windy I prepared myself properly for bad weather. The hike to the East Cape Lighthouse, is only like 350m to the East and a few steps upstairs. But due to the low hanging clouds, I couldn’t even see it (which in good weather you could). And the actual East Cape is 500m to the east from the carpark, but you would need to cross private land. So I was walking back the road to the start of the trail…just to find out that’s closed 😧. What the F***? Well the issue was, that the start of the track crosses private land. And I could see several cars parked in front of the house. So, I contemplated for a few minutes, but then I retreated. Otherwise, if it would’ve been just a washed out, unmaintained track, I wouldn’t care too much and made my way up. And the track is still closed nowadays, officially due to Covid-19. Even if the last 500m were missing this was my easternmost point after travelling for almost 5 years. The last easternmost point I reached was Byron Bay about three years ago. And now here at the East Cape of New Zealand I’m not even as East as Cape Dezhnyov, the eastern point of the Bering Strait. Yes I already passed Kamchatka, but not yet the easternmost point of Russia, even I entered it almost 5 years ago while driving to Saint Petersburg. Despite the bad weather, and the closure of the East Cape Lighthouse Track is was worth the drive into this remote part of NZ.

This part of the road was quite interesting to drive with a 2WD (and no I couldn’t see the East Cape Lighthouse with this weather)

What’s going on here…well my walk was much shorter as I anticipated (but I didn’t want to cross that private land behind me)

Reached my easternmost point on my travels so far…and still East Cape is still further to the West of the Bering Strait

On my way back, I briefly stopped at the Awatere River just before Te Araroa. The I followed the road along the North Shore to Ōpōtiki. It was a drizzling Saturday late afternoon. There were not many cars on the road, and the few small settlements are spread apart. Due to the weather there was not much to see apart the clouds and the mist. I stopped a few times, for a short walk but there was not much reason to do anything longer. Just before Ōpōtiki there’s a dune walk, but due to the weather and time I couldn’t be bothered. Just when I entered Ōpōtiki it was pouring with rain. It stopped under the roof of a former fuel station to orient myself, and then I went to the War Memorial Park. It was closed, but at least there was a sheltered outdoor area. And except a free ranging horse there was nobody who would’ve joined me for dinner. After dinner I drove out of town and stayed at the Te Ahiaua free campsite (again officially only for self-contained vehicles), but they had a public toilet onsite.

Awatere River was still a bit flooded from the recent rainfalls

That was the typical North Shore scenery on the Saturday afternoon…I even don’t recall at which of the several rivers I stopped here

After storm there’s good weather, and Sunday morning looked much more welcoming. I had a nice breakfast at the mouth of the Waiotahe River and even some people went into the water to have a swim on that sunny morning. I continued my drive in the morning and was heading to Rotorua. The beginning was a nice drive through small valleys, following their creeks and country roads. When I approached Kawerau then the different Pulp and Paper factories came in sight, and the area became much more populated. On my way I drove along various lakes and thought it would beautiful, but somehow it didn’t appeal to me. In Rotorua I had a warm shower at the Aquatic Centre first before having a walk through the Kuirau Park. Here you have various hot springs. Some smell like sulphur, some have clear hot water, and otherwise are a hot puddle of mud.

Former railway station of Awakeri is now a rail-bicycle draisines rental stop

Various Pulp and Paper Factories just before Kawerau

Clear Water Hot Springs in Kuirau Park (and by hot I’m talking of more than 90°C)…

…and the big one, which was just super steamy and smelly like, no not teen spirit, but sulphur

After having lunch in the park I continued driving to Taupō. On my way through the volcanic active zone I not only passed smaller volcanoes but also the Ohaaki Geothermal Power Station. First I was surprised by this big cooling tower and thought who would built a power station in the middle of nowhere, but then I understood it was not a coal fired one. Before Taupō I stopped at the “Craters of the Moon”. It’s a boardwalk through an area of high seismic activity. It costs about 10$ entry fee, but I think this is a fair price for the maintenance of the site. Since the Wairakei Power Station was opened in the late 1950’s, and is drawing geothermal power from underneath, the appearance changed. Some steam holes stopped working, while the activity of others increased, or even new ones were created. It was a nice loop walk for about 1h and to visit all the small and big craters.

The various craters exhibit different colours…

…in particular some have distinguishable pink-purple soil formations.

Gateway to Hell

Afterwards I was driving towards Taupō and stopped at the Control Gates Hill Lookout with a (partly) view over Lake Taupō. Lake Taupō is the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand. But from here you just could see the typical single storey buildings, aka Glorified Tents in Australia. Once I crossed Taupō, I stopped at the Lake Taupō Scenic Lookout, which was actually much nicer and gave you a beautiful view. I continued the drive along Lake Taupō to the South, which was quite scenic in parts. Afterwards I crossed the highlands and arrived in Ohakune in the evening.

Control Gates Hill Lookout mainly has a view to the glorified tents of NZ

Lake Taupō Scenic Lookout with scattered clouds, so you couldn’t see too much in the distance

Opoutama Beach

Thursday 5th January I went to the Wellington Airport to pickup a rental car. I didn’t want to take the expensive airport bus, but instead opted for the public bus which stops 500m away from the airport for 20% of the price. My problem was only, I didn’t know that the line forked and I ended up in the wrong bus terminal. I told the driver where I wanted to go, and then he said I need to change at Miramar Shops. In the end I opted for a longer walk, than waiting for another bus. The rental car for the next 6 days was sort of a relocation deal to Auckland. I was looking for other alternatives, but the train to Palmerston North, which only drives once per day in the afternoon, wasn’t operating in the summer holidays. I could’ve taken the bus to Gisborne, but this would’ve required an expensive overnight stop in Napier. And then there’s no bus to Te Araroa, and the rental car from Napier are more expensive for one day than this deal for 6 days. So, I thought OK if I can sleep in the car, than it’s 41$/night not much more than in a hostel these days in NZ. Plus, you don’t have idiots in the room turning on the fan full power (which generates more noise than air flow, and with the window only able to open a gap, I’m even not certain if the engine heat will heat up the room more than the additional convection will reduce in temperature – but some people just have a “feeling” but no comprehension of fluid-mechanics and thermodynamics) and complaining they can’t sleep otherwise. Anyway when they asked which car I want, I opted for the larger Toyota Camry. Both were sedans, and I already thought: Oh, that could be interesting to sleep in.

Back in the hostel to pickup my luggage, as I needed to drive by anyway there was no point to carry everything to the airport, I met again Janina. She gave me her AT HOP card, that’s the plastic card for the public transport in Auckland. In Australia I used extensively wikicamps. I never paid for any app on my phone, but that’s the only one where I would’ve invested the 8$ (somehow I always worked on my device without paying). It’s always good to know where you can refill your water bottles/canisters, have a (free) shower, public toilets, and for sure free campsites. Some spots get downrated as “day-use only” areas, but reading the comments then it’s sometimes OK to stay for one night: Arrive late, Leave Early, Have dinner and breakfast at different barbeque areas/picnic spots. I did that a lot in Australia, and it was always fine, except for one night in Ulverstone (Kristy flew to Sydney, so I had to sleep in my car), where I had breakfast on a beautiful sunny day, and then the council officer came by. I know, I violated my own rules, would’ve driven the 1km back to the barbeque area where I’ve had dinner the night before, there wouldn’t be any problem at all. And also Free Camping in NZ is getting more and more restricted due to its popularity. In particular in and around towns you should follow the signs, otherwise be prepared to pay hefty on the spot fines. And also most of the free campsites are only for “self-contained” vehicles, even if there’s a toilet available onsite. And you can’t just claim that you’re self-contained, your vehicle needs to be certified self-contained by a registered issuing authority. For sure my rental car wasn’t a certified self-contained vehicle. Thus, I needed to be prepared where to stay overnight. I tried wikicamps NZ, but it didn’t work, and also Campermate in NZ app didn’t work on my phone without Google Play Services, but luckily there’s an online version (with supposedly all the same information) which works flawlessly in every browser.

My first stop was bunnings in Petone. I needed a 13 mm spanner to loose two bolts in order to remove the backrest of the rear seat (first I bought a 12 mm spanner, but that didn’t work so I needed to change it immediately 🤦‍♂️ – yes, I should’ve known better that a M8 has a 13mm ring width). If I only fold forward the backrest then I don’t have a nearly flat surface to sleep, but a 5 cm step in between. Luckily, even in those new cars it’s just two bolts to open. After getting my supplies at PAK’nSave, I needed in particular a 5l water bottle which I could refill, I went to Kmart to buy a mattress. I know it’s so ridiculous, I just sold my camping mattresses 2 months earlier in Australia, as I didn’t want to carry them (incl. a new one from BigW which I never used), and know I bought a new one. They didn’t had camping mattress available, even if the online store told otherwise, and the employees at Kmart are hopeless, they’re not meant to answer any questions you have. They told me they’re running low on camping gear now after the Christmas holiday season. In then I only got a 1.75m yoga mattress for 17$. Well better than nothing, and it should do for the next 6 nights. It’s less than 3$/night, but this is our throwaway society and Kmart’s business model.

So finally, after everything was set, I could start my drive in the late afternoon. I stopped at the Stuart Alisdair Macaskill Lookout just behind Upper Hutt. From here you see the Upper and Lower Macaskill Reservoirs. The Remutaka Rail Trail starts close by and used the old and steep railway alignment, which is no longer required since the Remutaka Tunnel opened. I took the winding highway further up until the Remutaka Pass. It’s a nice lookout in itself. There’s a lot of green forest around. I didn’t had time to climb the Remutaka summit, it was only 200 m elevation gain, but sunset was approaching quickly. As I was driving through Masterton in the evening, I ended in a police control to do a breath test. I needed to count till 10 and started in German and than switched to English, but the officer told me it doesn’t matter in which language to count 😅. I stayed overnight about 2km south of Hamua Hall at a picnic spot, nothing special directly off the road but at least it has two picnic tables.

The trunk of the Toyota Camry is actually quite big. But still it’s a queasy feeling when you put your head inside. You’re not suffocating. The opening to the front through the backrest is big enough to have enough air circulation and CO₂ diffusion. And the advantage is also, that you don’t need any curtains. As it’s dark, also street lights don’t bother you. And finally nobody would assume that you sleep in the car, and all they might see while passing by is your feet in the sleeping bag on the back seat, the rest is covered.

After breakfast I continued my drive on Friday morning. The weather was still sunny today. I made a brief stop at the public toilets in Waipukurau. I drove through the Hastings before reaching the coast and entering Napier from the south. I drove along the beaches, but you know how appealing they’re to me. Afterwards I went to the library. It was a modern one with dedicated work places with your own laptop. In the afternoon I had a walk around the town. Some buildings have a nice Art Deco style architecture with some ornaments on their facade, as the city was levelled by an earthquake in 1931 and was rebuilt in the Art Deco style popular in the 1930s. But otherwise you’ll find the same boring retail chains along the pedestrian street. I stopped in Spriggs Spark to turn an my kettle and have an afternoon coffee, and also to fill up my water canisters from the tap.

Ornaments on the housing facade, but the shops are nothing special

Afterwards I followed the Pacific Coast Highway to the North. After a few kilometres it leaves the shore and winds its way up into the Tangoio Forest. It’s a nice scenic drive. After a while we’re joining and following, more or less, the Palmerston North-Gisborne railway line. This railway line is prone to flooding was mothballed North of Wairo, since a severe washouts happened in 2012 and a landslide worsened in 2021. It was proposed to reopen the line until Gisborne, but Cyclone Gabbrielle ruined the plans. While approaching Wairo, I stopped at the Mohaka Viaduct. With 95 metres it is the highest viaduct in Australasia. It’s quite impressive to see it over the Mohaka River. I walked up to the Western End, and got a glimpse over the viaduct. The rails were all rusty, so there was no traffic for a long time. But the Mohaka Valley looked quite impressive from above here. After that brief stop I continued my drive to the North over the green hills.

…with rusty rails hasn’t seen any traffic recently…

View over the green hills from above Taumatataua

In Nūhaka I left the highway and followed the small winding road along the shore to Opoutama. Opoutama is a tiny settlement with a few houses. But at the beach there’s a public toilet and picnic tables, and you can camp for free. A few other campers were also around, and from a few I wasn’t certain either if their cars are fully certified self-contained. The weather already turned a bit bad in the evening, it was overcasted, and the wind picked up. I had a short stroll along the railway track which directly passed by. It was partially cut free (hence, not fully overgrown), but you could see that there was no train driving here since 10 years. Instead you can now rent rail-bicycle draisines at the former railway station (the container/shop was closed when I was there though).

Winding Road along the shore to Opoutama Beach

The railway line in Opoutama Beach is already partly overgrown

Sightseeing Wellington

On Wednesday the 4th January I did walk around downtown Wellington. I started near the Museum of New Zealand and followed the Te Papa Promenade to the Frank Kitts Park. Afterwards I followed several roads until I was close to the parliament buildings. I passed “The Beehive”, the Executive Wing of New Zealand Parliament Buildings, and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand until I reached the green zone starting with the Bolton Street Memorial Park. This park is now divided by the Wellington Motorway, but a footbridge gets you to the other side. The Thorndon Lookout wasn’t much of a lookout.

Wellington Downtown, I liked the facade of that building

Afterwards I entered the Wellington Botanical Gardens. Here the City to Sea Walkway starts. I didn’t follow it, but sometimes crossed it. I visited first the Lady Norwood Rose Garden. The Begonia House was due to close, so I went up to the Herb Garden. It was much quieter anyway. Then I followed several paths, some wider some narrower, to the observatories. Now on top of the hill, I strolled along to the Meteorological Station which already opens up a view over the city. Then I moved over to the Kelburn station of the Wellington Cable Car. This is maybe the most picturesque view of Wellington having the red cable car in front. I didn’t take the cable car down, but I think as it’s public transport it’s not expensive at all. Instead I opted for several small alleys and steep stairways until I reached St. Mary of the Angels Church. Back in the hostel I met Janina, and we got along with each other immediately. Hence, we bought some beers and went to Freyberg Beach in the evening to have a chat. Officially you’re not allowed to drink beer in public places. Police checked the area a few times, but they only stopped at the carpark and couldn’t be bothered to get out of their cars and walk along the pier. Thus we had actually an enjoyable evening.

Sundial where your body acts as the gnomon…I found that a cute idea

Exclusive Location and a Big Black BMW in front, but no money left for the plumber (look at those outside piping), and heating installer (three chimneys is a bit much, instead you’re still using separate gas stoves for each room – maybe you need with those single glazed windows and cracks galore).

Bouldering Wellington

On Tuesday 2nd January I walked back to the railway station, as I wanted to take the train to Western Hutt. Upon arrival I was told that the Wairarapa Line was closed due to ongoing maintenance. Now in main holiday season it’s convenient to close the railway lines due to less passengers. I was told that I could use the rail replacement service to Ava. There was even a conductor in the bus who sold me a ticket, and not many passengers. We didn’t stop directly in front of the Ava station, once I realised that I asked the driver, and he gave me a look like I should’ve know. I mean how? There was no station announcement, and there were maybe 5 passengers onboard, and you told me that I should get out in Ava just a few minutes before. Anyway he dropped me off at the next bus stop. That was good for me, because I needed to walk less to the HangDog boulder gym.

The HangDog boulder gym is technically in Lower Hutt, but the other boulder gym directly in Wellington, Fergs, had really bad references (incl. loose holds etc). No thanks, I already had my fair share of loose holds in Darwin. Also the guys from HangDog building now a new boulder gym directly in Wellington Willis St bigger and better. Thus, no need to go to Lower Hutt in the near future anymore. The HangDog boulder gym has a unique layout. In the central section directly behind the entrance is the toprope section. And then you’ve two boulder sections to the left and the right. I started with the right one to warm me up, as it appeared to be the easier ones. All the routes had one colour for their holds, so the walls were not super smashed with holds and you would need to search for your strips. I also send several routes in the left boulder area until I was running out of juice. And the routes were not only pumpy hard, but still had some technical difficulties present. It would be nice to see their new boulder gym in Willis St. On the way back into the CBD I just took a normal bus, which was quite full, no wonder when the train doesn’t run.

These were my original train tickets…super cute, but still a bit anachronistic for the 21st century

Wellington

Monday morning 2nd January 2023 I walked back to the bus station in Nelson in order to catch the bus to Picton. From Nelson to Picton the bus runs more regularly. We followed the coastline only for a few minutes before heading into the hilly inland. There were again lots of forestry plantations and logging activity along the way. After about 1h we left the mountains behind and crossed the Pelorus River over the Pelorus Bridge. And shortly afterwards we reached the sea again in Havelock. There’s a shortcut road along the shore to Picton, but the bus didn’t take it. Instead we headed to the Woodbourne Airport and then to Blenheim through the vineyards in the Marlborough region. The area experiences more than 2,600 sunny hours annually which makes it a perfect place for grape production. After our stop in Blenheim we followed the Main North line to Picton. In Picton the bus stopped directly at the Interislander ferry terminal. I figured out that I had to check-in my big backpack again. This was now convenient, as I had still 2h to explore Picton. Picton itself is nothing special, but as all ferry companies to and from the North Island will stop here, the town was packed with tourists now in the main holiday season. You also need to book well in advance, even if you’re just by foot. And occasionally the ferry service gets suspended due to bad weather. Well then good luck to find an alternative sailing. I was walking around the small, sure you could’ve get into several museums and spend your money on useless things. And beside the bottle shops, fast food takeaways and cafes, there’s not much else. In the end I had time and decided to have a coffee before I leave.

Ferry is already waiting for me to embark

The ferry was packed, and some families still occupy tables even if they don’t use them the whole time. The first hour we sailed in sheltered waters. First we followed the Queen Charlotte Sound and then turned into Tory Chanel south of the Arapaoa Island. There were several other smaller boats enjoying the sounds on this picture perfect sunny day. New Zealands first shore based Whaling Station was located on Arapaoa Island. Shortly afterwards a group of Orcas swum next to us. That was a big surprise for an ordinary ferry trip. With the big fin and white spots, those were definitely Orcas this time. Okukari Bay was the last bay before we left the shelter waters and entered into the Cook Straight. This day the weather was with us and we had a very smooth sailing across the 35km of the Straight. Also the outline of the southern part of the North Island could already be seen.

Leaving Picton with lots of smoke from the funnel

Queen Charlotte Sound was busy on this sunny day

Big Wind Farm can already be seen on the North Island…isn’t surprising with the prevailing winds here

Wellington is one of the best natural harbours in the world. It can be easily sailed in and the sheltered bay doesn’t require any artificial breakwater. We already had a nice view from the open deck to the downtown of Wellington. We berthed just next to the Wellington Regional Stadium. The Quay had even railway access, and I could see some cargo waggons on the apron. But I don’t know for sure if those cargo waggons would still be transported on the ferry, or if they just get reloaded there. There’s for sure no longer any passenger train taking the ferry. It took quite a long time until we were permitted to leave the ship, maybe too many people needed to walk out. Then in a provisional tent there was a conveyor belt where you need to pick-up your luggage. After I had my backpack back, I was looking for the shuttle bus into the CBD. But there was no information. I tried to get back into the terminal to ask for it, but this was now already closed. Several other people seemed to wait for the same, and eventually the bus driver came. The shuttle bus takes less than 10 min to the Wellington railway station. I was walking along the waterfront to my hostel. It looked actually quite appealing and it was definitely not a dirty harbour atmosphere. Even I changed from the South Island to the North Island I didn’t gain any latitude, I just got a bit further to the East.

Air New Zealand plane is approaching Wellington Airport

Wellington Regional Stadium…and next to it the timber export terminal

The ferry terminal still provides railroad access

Wellington Railway Station (without any traffic that day)

Nelson

The best hostel I had in NZ was in Greymouth. I stayed two nights in Greymouth, but according to their booking status I could only stay with them for one night. When I told them I stayed the night before in another hostel, because they were fully booked, they looked a bit strange to me. Then I found out my 8-bed dorm room was only half full. Hence, I guess they operate under capacity due to staff shortages. At NYE I headed to the downtown for a beer and to enjoy their fireworks. There was even live band who sung in te reo Māori (some songs were covers from English lyrics, but I enjoyed that). The fireworks was also quite long for such a small town. It lasted for 5 min, compared to Sydney for 12 min, and was quite spectacular. Everyone was heading to the Mawhera Quay to get a perfect view. But as it was so huge and colourful, maybe with a touch of purple, it didn’t really matter were you stand.

That’s the Self-Conception of the Westcoast…it’s about the money, not the planet

The next day I went to downtown to catch my next bus to Nelson. This bus only operates seasonal and then only 3 days per week. Hence, you need to plan in advance your travels along the Westcoast. After leaving Greymouth we followed the Rapahoe railway branch line, until we reached the coast in Rapahoe. The coast line is quite rugged but beautiful green. You’re basically driving through a lush green rainforest with big ferns. We crossed Ten Mile Creek which is a popular swimming spot.

…to see some beautiful mining equipment on display…

Lush Green Rainforest was along the way…

At Punakaiki / Pancake Rocks the bus stopped for 30min. That was perfect to go on a walk and see the Pancake Rocks. Those limestone rocks were formed underwater but due to the tectonic activities in NZ they were uplifted and then watered down. What remains are beautiful rock formations which look like stacked pancakes. It looks a bit similar to The Fortress, but much smaller. There’re plenty of rocks in different sizes and in between deep cuts are washed out. There’s also a big arch, where the swell comes from underneath. The walk is easy and paved for most of the time, and 30min is plenty do the loop. Afterwards we followed the coast line for a bit before heading inland to Westport.

Punakaiki NP features several pancake rocks…

…forms a unique and marvellous landscape.

The soft sandstone underneath the limestone was carved out by the continuous swell and formed this arch

Westcoast was not a beauty. You could see that it’s a traditional workers town with the Stockton mine, the largest open-cut coal mine in NZ, only 30 km away. That’s the dirty part of NZ of which nobody wants to talk about, here you won’t find the same hedonists than in Queenstown. Afterwards we followed the Buller River upstream. This was a picturesque drive and culminated in a narrow gorge, where the road narrowed down to a single lane in a half-open cutout. The Stillwater-Ngākawau Line followed us (or we them) on the other river bank.

One of several railway bridge on the other river bank

Dee Point, a 180° river turn, with the narrow half-open cut road the motorhome is just approaching…wondering if their height will fit

Shortly before Murchison the valley opened up again and provided some green meadows

In Murchison we stopped for another 30 min before continuing on our final leg. Shortly afterwards we passed Kawatiri, the terminus station of the former Nelson-Glenhope line. This was an isolated railway section and was never connected to the rest of NZ railway network, even though plans existed. And even they already crossed all the mountain ridge lines, and just needed to follow the Buller River downstream, that never eventuated. We took a shortcut across the Hope Saddle. There was clearly a lot of forestry plantation here, as you could see ongoing logging activities. It was no longer the lush green rainforest we saw in the beginning of the trip.

Logging of large patches of forest along the way…is a clear sign of extensive forestry operations

Greymouth

On Friday 30th December 2022 I was walking to the railway station. I was the only passenger to get onto the train that day in Arthur’s Pass. I was a few minutes earlier on the platform so I observe the decoupling of the second diesel locomotive. Shortly after Arthur’s Pass the railway enters the Otira tunnel. At its completion it was the longest tunnel in the British Empire. Due to its length it couldn’t be operated by steam trains due to their fumes. The Otira railway tunnel was electrified until 1997. Instead of extending the electrification on the whole length, it was cut back and is now operated solely by Diesel traction.

TranzAlpine Train arrives and the second locomotive is getting decoupled

Once the train arrived I was looking for the conductress to get my boarding ticket. I told her I had a backpack, but she couldn’t see it, and said OK I just can get onto the train. Well perfect, I took my big backpack, my camping bag and my daypack with me and boarded the train. It was no problem at all to store them all on the overhead luggage rack. I knew it was possible not to check-in your luggage.

I was listening again to the tourist information on the audio channel. Until the 1970’s regular passenger trains were on the route, also suitable for trampers (as hikers are getting called in NZ). The train usual stopped at the bridge over Otira River to reach the Deception Track to either pick-up and drop-off hikers. With all the hikers on the Te Araroa why this is no longer offered. Nowadays the main traffic is coal (yes, coal from the Westcoast, like the Stockton open-cut mine, accounts for more than 50% of NZ’s coal production) to export from Lyttelton (Christchurch) into India, China, sometimes South America. As you can see, NZ sells its green natural idyll, and you’re not supposed to look into the dirty corners of that country. Also dairy products from the westcoast are transported to the east on the Midland Line.

Hikers Bridge over the Otira River to get onto the Deception Track (no longer a railway stop)

It’s much greener this side of the mountains

Our next stop was Lake Brunner, named after British Explorer Thomas Brunner who was the first white person to have reached this part of NZ. The Westcoast is much greener than the Canterbury region. You can see the difference immediately once you crossed the main range. We followed the Arnold River downstream until we reached Stillwater. Here the Stillwater-Ngākawau Line branches off towards Westport. For safety reasons there’s no longer any passenger service on that line, but solely coal. I’m just take the car if you really need to drive to Westport. For the last section we followed the Grey river before reaching Greymouth shortly afterwards, where our journey ended.

Branch off of the Stillwater-Ngākawau Line towards Westport

And the mandatory coal pile in Stillwater

We’re following the Grey River before arriving in Greymouth

Hiking Avalanche Peak Loop

After my arrival in Arthur’s Pass on Wednesday 28th December 2022 I went straight to the nearby DOC visitor information centre. I asked for the conditions of the hiking track to Crow Hut via Avalanche Peak. I got the inspiration of doing so, during my stay in Port Craig. There were several rangers on duty but only one had first-hand experience with that particular track. He had a handout with the key information and photos. Where I need to turn, and how to find the right scree field for the descent into the Crow Valley. I also bought a hard copy paper map, as that always works, even without battery. Afterwards I started repacking again, and brought my backpack from travelling mode into hiking mode. It was good weather, thus I did it in front of the visitor centre on a table, but some of the ordinary day visitors gave me a strange look. I could store my bag in the DOC visitor centre for one night for a small fee.

Afterwards I went to the Avalanche Creek Shelter Campsite to have lunch in the shelter. I didn’t had a tent and mattress with me, because I sold mine in Australia, but I thought I could’ve easily stayed here for one night in the shelter on a bench, if I wouldn’t have found any accommodation in Arthur’s Pass. There were several warnings of the Kea. They’re so curious/nasty here, that you should not leave your tent pitched up during the day. Otherwise there’s a good chance they try to get into it and will damage it.

At about 12:30 I was finally ready to start my walk. I took the Avalanche Peak Track, which basically starts behind the old DOC visitor centre building, and is a bit hidden. Further down the road is the Scott’s Track, which is supposed to be less steep, but then a bit longer. They merge shortly before the Avalanche Peak. And I’ve to say, yes the Avalanche Peak Track is quite steep, in particular while walking through the forest. After about 30min 2 blokes from Czech Republic overtook me, ok they had only light daypacks like almost all hikers here, but still they were fast.

After 2h hours you’re leaving the forest. This opens up much better views but also exposes you much more to the sun. And we had a great day with only a few clouds on the sky. I had break there to have a snack, while I enjoyed my view down the valley. There was just a fully loaded coal train heading to Christchurch for export. Yes, NZ still operates big open cut coal mines, not good for tourism that dirty business, so you won’t get told about that in Queenstown, but still good money. From my resting point, I also had a good view to the road leading to Otira. Since 1999 the winding road was replaced by the Otira Viaduct, making the drive more safe – but less spectacular. You can’t walk along the road, and the nearest Main Range crossing is the Deception Track via Goat Pass and part of the Te Araroa Track. But this includes up to 30 river crossings and can take 3 days or more, in particular, if the rivers are flooded. Hence, if you want to have a shortcut you need to hitchhike from Arthur’s Pass to Otira.

Finally having the steep part behind me and the peak already in sight

Fully Loaded Coal Train is heading to Christchurch

After another 40min I reached Avalanche Peak. It was already 15:00 o’clock and now the challenging part was in front of me. I could already see the red roof of the Crow hut, but I wasn’t in the mood to have an relaxing rest on the summit. I also had to admit, that I wasn’t looking carefully on the (online) map before, as the last few days I was quite in a rush getting here. So the description was to head south from the summit and cross it in its South-Western flank to a col underneath the pre-summit. And somehow, I lost a bit orientation, to where actually south is. There was another young couple also looking for the way, and he checked his online DOC map, but that wasn’t any precise either (it only has one zoom level, and the track stops on the summit). Through a steepish scree field in the South-Westerly direction we finally made it to a track, from here the crossing to the col was easy. There was even a cairn on the col, and you could have interpreted it as the arrows go in both directions, but I opted to go onto the pre-summit. Whereas the couple tried to traverse the pre-summit on its North-Easterly Side. None of it was the actual supposed way, you should’ve crossed the col and descent in that scree field before traversing, but from that position it didn’t look any welcoming. The challenge in the end was the descent from the pre-summit. It was a climb on chossy rock. I didn’t feel insecure, but I made sure I always had proper position and good rock quality. After a few passages the terrain eased off, and you could follow a zig-zag to the broad ridge line. I even found some fresh water there.

Mount Rolleston in the backdrop and the ridge line I need to take (the ridge looks easy, but how to get there?)

Looking down the Crow Valley…where you could already spot the Crow Hut

Avalanche Peak and the pre-peak in the back with the col below

Avalanche Peak with the crowds on top if it, and the track on it’s south-westerly face below

Then I followed the broad ridge for about 30min to the North. It’s easy walking, always a bit up and down. You always look to the right, as you want to have a clear view to the Devils Punchbowl Falls. If you don’t see them completely then you’re not yet at the right scree field. Also you need to look down along the scree field all the way to the Crow Valley, if you can’t do that you’re most likely at the wrong scree field which ends half way down the mountain. The scree is not nice to walk, there seem to be sometimes some tracks, but they might vanish. Most of the time it’s loose, but not so loose that you could easily surf down. It’s more like having small stones on bigger rocks. And also the big rocks might become loose once you give them a bit momentum. It took me about 1.5h to reach the bottom of the Crow Valley. From here it’s a short walk back to the hut. Maybe you find some cairns in between…and not each cairn is a hit, but in particular the last 10 min are more or less free walking through the bush. The Crow Hut is a relatively new hut, built in 2002, with 10 bunk beds. Mattresses are provided, and it’s only 10$/night. Well, I had 10$ in cash with me, but this is not how it works. You need to purchase a Standard Hut Ticket in advance, and then put in the honesty box. I guess, once the ranger comes in a while, he counts and then burns the tickets…something you don’t want to do with cash. And for this nice hut, I’m more than happy to pay a reasonable price, better than most of the for free huts in Tasmania. Two couples stayed the same night in the hut, well technically they stayed in their tents, so I had all the beds for myself. One couple walked in from Klondyke Corner, thus I asked them about the track conditions to walk out, the other couple I already met on Avalanche Peak.

View back to Avalanche Peak (on the left, the pre-peak is in the centre, it appears lower, but it’s behind and due to the perspective) with the col one should’ve taken to its right. From here the track becomes quite clear.

That’s the view you want to see of Devils Punchbowl Falls before the descent

From here it’s doable, but it’s hard work I can tell you…I was lucky to have worn my mountain boots

It’s quite steep in the upper parts but then the scree eases off afterwards.

The next day was a sort of easy walk out. Thus, I enjoyed my breakfast and coffee and had an easy start at about 10:00 o’clock. On the way out two people came towards me, one woman (very fit NZ) and an older guy, I spoke briefly with him as he was interested of how many people were in the hut. He already climbed Mount Rolleston in the past, the big snow covered mountain at the end of the valley. You need to cross the Crow River and the wide Waimakariri River at least once, so expect to get wet feet. But the track is well marked with orange triangles, and there’s no bush bashing required. The walk along the Waimakariri River drags on a lot. It’s a big pebbles plain, and there’s no formed track, as the river creates new branches each year.

Crow Hut with Mount Rolleston in the back

Beautiful mountain valley on the hike out

Crossing over to the Waimakariri River. In the shade of those trees I had my lunch break.

Waimakariri River Bed…was a long stretch of pebbles

I reached the carpark at the end of the 4WD track from Klondyke Corner at about 14:00 o’clock. I thought I need to walk at least until the highway to catch a lift back to Arthur’s Pass. But a father with his son just jumped into their car, and offered me a lift back, as they wanted to eat some ice cream there. Because it was an unusual warm day for NZ, we came to the climate change topic. And his suggestion was that we need to reduce the population on this planet, then the remaining people can just do business as usual, and won’t need to change their behaviour. I thought that’s an interesting hypothesis not to change anything, but the population growth until 2050 is already locked in. The highest total fertility rate in the world is in some African countries, like Angola, Benin, DR Congo, Mali, and Niger. Hence, it’s not surprising that the African population will grow from 1.34 billion in 2019 to 2.49 billion people in 2050. And some African countries will even double their population in the next 30 years. And there’s no doubt that this is a big issue, caused by many factors including lack of schooling (in particular for girls) in conservative societies, patriarchy, lack of access to contraceptives, etc., but it won’t solve climate change.

Once I was back in Arthur’s Pass I went to the visitor centre to pickup my bag, and also paid the ticket for the hut. Now I knew how the system works. Afterwards I walked over the road to the check-in to the YHA, but it was closed. Well I was a bit annoyed of it, dragged a bench into the shade and had a seat to turn on my mobile phone. And yes, I received instructions how to check-in. In the end you only go to the backdoor, put in a number and find your room. That’s so awkward, you literally need a working mobile phone to get into that hostel. I never saw a manager. And that also explains why I never got an answer to my request, if I could store my luggage for one night in the hostel (thanks to the DOC that I could leave it in the visitor centre). It was a beautiful hike, with a challenging part in the middle, and I had sunny weather during those two days. It was the first time I was using my mountain boots within 2.5 years, and it was a great test for them.

Arthur’s Pass

Wednesday morning 28th December 2022 I took the bus to the Christchurch train station. As it was holiday time, the timetable was reduced. The driver was very nice, she asked me where I wanted to get off and then told me the station. The current (third) railway station in Christchurch is a bit out of town and not well connected to the rest of public transport. The second railway station was finally destroyed by the 2011 earthquake, and the building no longer exists. The station was busy though. A lot of coaches lined up and dropped of the guides with their guests, because without a guide you can’t take the train in NZ. The guides pitched up the tables and provided a coffee in single-use cups and a snack in the early morning. You need to check-in for the train, and then you receive a boarding pass. You also need to check-in any large luggage (I needed to check-in my big backpack. My big camping bag with the mountain boots could got with me, otherwise it could’ve been easily an extra). That’s super annoying. I travelled half the world, and was never forced to check-in my luggage. Not even in The Ghan nor in Queensland or NSW train, there check-in was an optional free service, but you weren’t forced to do so. I don’t like that baggage handler throw around my backpack.

Christchurch Railway Station was quite busy that morning

The tour guides pamper their guests before getting onto the train

Single Platform Christchurch Railway Station

The remaining long-distance passenger services in NZ are all tourist trains. They’re not regarded as means of public transport. Hence, you’ve this big windows panorama waggons, one open air platform waggon, and with the provided headsets you get commentary along the way of the scenery. Once we were out of Christchurch we left the Main South Line in Rolleston and continued on the Midland Railway Line. While we crossed the Canterbury plains again the great farming was praised, but the fertiliser issues weren’t mentioned again – you don’t want to scare off the tourists and their perception of NZ who bring valuable money into the country. Due to the prevailing westerly winds, you’ve Föhn conditions with low precipitation in the Canterbury Plains, which makes them very dry as the Westcoast gets all the rain.

Green Canterbury Plains with the typical tree lines as windbreaker

Leaving the Canterbury Plains and following the Waimakariri River

We then followed mainly the Waimakariri River upstream. This is when the scenery kicks in. The railway tracks follows the valley for most of the time, winding its way up into the mountains. The agriculture also changes and the grasses turn more brownish. The natural colour in that region. There are several big sheep farms along the track, and back in the days they all had their own train stop. There are several bridges and tunnels in order to cross smaller tributaries. The audio commentary provides you constantly with new (sometimes useless) information, and you swing from the left side to the right side of the train, to catch the best views. Then move to the open air platform, which is packed with lots of people, and all the rail pros won’t move because they need to catch each second on film. The train ride is only 2.5h in total, but the scenic section during the climb to Arthur’s pass maybe just 1h. So it’s quite short but very entertaining. The landscape is quite spectacular once your riding the train into the snow covered mountains. It was the best and most picturesque train ride in New Zealand.

Our Train needed to cross several bridges…

…making our way slowly but steadily into the mountains

This red bridge ends directly in a short tunnel…

…providing spectacular views down to the Waimakariri River

The professionals captured everything from the open waggon

The train winds its way up along the river

Shortly before Arthur’s Pass you cross the Waimakariri River. It’s wide river bed, full of pebbles, is now in the summer quite dry, and the river reduced to a small stream. During snow melting season the bed is full of water and the Waimakariri River is raging downstream. For the last few kilometres you’re following the Bealey River to Arthur’s pass. It takes about 15 min until the train finally arrives on the platform, as the second locomotive is no longer needed and gets decoupled from the train. Arthur’s Pass is a popular hiking destination. And with regular commuter train services, in particular on weekends and school holidays, it would be a great means of transport for hikers. But with those current train prices, and having only one service per day, it’s just not attractive for the general public – and they use the car to drive the 150 km from Christchurch.