Wandering the West Coast

On the Friday after Thanksgiving we said a sad farewell to the couple we had been staying with and headed north through Fox Glacier to Franz Josef. The main attraction at Franz Josef, much like Fox Glacier, is a glacier. While we were staying at the farm the clouds had kept views of the Southern Alps pretty well hidden so we decided to take a helicopter ride above the clouds to get a better view. On the morning we were supposed to go up it looked like the clouds were going to thwart us once again, but we waited patiently and they cleared just enough for us to get some spectacular views of Fox Glacier and Mount Cook.

From Franz Josef we continued north, stopping in all the small towns along or just off the highway before reaching Hokitika. Hokitika is known for it pounamu (greenstone or jade in the rest of the world) carving so we spent some time browsing the shops and the beach for our own piece of pounamu. We also visited the Hokitika Gorge which is fed by glacial melt and has an incredible turquoise color as a result. We were hoping to see some of the carvers in action on Monday, but it turned out to be the Westland anniversary day so shops were either closed or running on limited staff.

The holiday was also on in Greymouth, the West Coast’s largest city so we drove through without stopping. By the time we got to Punaikaki people were no longer on holiday because they celebrate their anniversary day with the Nelson region. It was all very confusing, but a good lesson on history and culture. In Punaikaki we took a look at the Pancake Rocks, but because it was a few hours before high tide we did not get to see the blowholes in action. The rain chased us farther north to the seal colony in Tauranga Bay before we landed in Westport. If the weather cooperates our next adventure will be the Heaphy Track.

Thanksgiving

We are happy to miss Black Friday, but we were not so excited about the prospect of missing Thanksgiving. Fortunately for us the couple we are staying with were happy to help us put together a Thanksgiving dinner so that we would not feel too homesick. We did not have all of the normal ingredients available because it is spring instead of fall, but we were able to find substitutes that work well.

For dinner we had mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, stuffing, candied kumara and pumpkin (squash), rolls, cranberry sauce made from cranberries that came off of a cranberry bush and look a lot like blueberries and duck. For dessert we had blackberry, nectarine, pumpkin (squash) and kumara pies with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream made from milk provided by Frisky, the house cow.

Even though a few of the ingredients were new for us, the result was the same. Everyone overate and fell into a deep food coma after dinner and there will be plenty of leftovers for tomorrow. We hope everyone at home has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Jenni the Farm Girl

Between rain showers (some of which have lasted for a full day) we are still farming on the West Coast of the South Island.

Thanks to Rina for the photos. You can purchase her photos here.

The Wild West Coast

It was a long drive from the top of the South Island to 50km south of Fox Glacier. Unfortunately we did it on a rainy, cloudy day so we did not get to see much of the Southern Alps as we made the trip.

Even though the ranch we are staying at is just off State Highway 6, it feels like it is located at the end of the road. The nearest large town is 2.5 hours away and it has just over 3000 people. Being so isolated means that the people in the area are very self reliant but are also willing to help their neighbors whenever there is a need.

The West Coast is a place that is hard to describe. Time has moved more slowly here so people still do things in a more traditional way It is a place where cowboy boots look like gumboots. The State Highway was originally a cattle trail and it is still used that way today. It is a place where hunting is not a sport, it is a necessity to supplement your food supply. Horse riding is not a sport, it is still a work activity. It is a place where closing time is just a recommendation. The rain here is measured in buckets rather than millimeters. It is a place of incredible beauty.

We have been doing various tasks on the ranch including fixing fence, milking the house cow, hunting, making ice cream, feeding animals and moving stock. The ranch we are on is a Hereford Stud which means that it produces bulls that other farmers buy to use to impregnate their cattle. The rancher who owns the place is the fourth generation on the ranch. He knows his herd so well that he can tell you the mother and father of most of his stock without consulting his breeding book.

On Wednesday we drove over the mountains to Christchurch so that we could attend the Canterbury A&P show. It is similar to a fair in the States with rides, junk food and stock judging. There were also dog trials and commercial farm equipment vendors at the show. We were mainly there for the livestock judging and had a great time talking to the other ranchers who where at the show. We even met one farmer who held shearing classes in Roseburg, Oregon and knew several guys from Myrtle Point (my home town). We spent the night near Christchurch and the next day we went to Kaiapoi to pick up some semen. We got some from the company and then drove down the road a short distance to get some from an independent dealer. Only in New Zealand would a deal done on the side of the road between the back of vehicles be for semen instead of drugs.

On our way home it was a clear day so we got some incredible views through Arthur’s Pass and of the Southern Alps as we drove along the West Coast.

The woman we are staying with, Rina, is a wonderful photographer so if you want to see some better pictures of the area we are staying in check out her Flickr photos here. One of our favorite photos of hers is this one.

Abel Tasman

After leaving Nelson we spent a couple of days in Motueka taking in the sights, eating at Up The Garden Path and packing for our upcoming hike. To be honest there is not much to see in Motueka, but it is a good place to relax and enjoy good food. Up The Garden Path is a small café owned by friends of friends who serve delicious food made from local ingredients. If you happen to being going through Motueka, it is worth a stop and make sure you try their dessert.

The Abel Tasman Coast Track is one of New Zealand’s great walks and is located on an eastern facing coast in the northwest corner of the South Island. After the rest and relaxation in Motueka our first day on the trail was a little bit of a shock to our systems. That was mainly because we opted Dylan forced us to do our longest day on the first day when our packs were at their heaviest. We parked our car near the water taxi office (more on why we needed a water taxi later) and hiked the 1.5km from there to the official start of the trail.

On our first day we hiked from Marahau to the Bark Bay Hut. We had decided to stay in a hut on our first night because we knew that we were going to be a little tired after hiking 23 kilometers (14 miles). We were disappointed to find that the hut was well away from the beach and the campsites were right on the beach. The afternoon was spent on the beach watching waves crash on the golden sand and digging up shellfish. By dinner we had quite a collection, but were not sure what the harvest rules were inside a national park so we left them all on the beach and headed back to the hut to cook up what we had packed. When a hut warden showed up we asked him about the shellfish rules and were disappointed to learn that we could have had a much tastier dinner.

We made the trip from Bark Bay to Awaroa on our second day of tramping. It was a short hike with a small crossing that is done most easily at low tide. The Awaroa hut has incredible views of the estuary, but we had booked a tent site that did not have a view. After setting up our tent we sat in front of the hut watching the tide go out. The tidal zone in front of the Awaroa hut is over 2 kilometers long so the scenery changes significantly from high to low tide. When we got to the hut we asked the DOC worker there about collecting shellfish and were told that it was fine so at low tide we walked out into the estuary and collected cockles to have with dinner. They certainly did not compare to Bluff Oysters, but they were good with marinara sauce and pasta.

Our third day of hiking started at 8:00am so that we could make it across the tidal zone near low tide. After the crossing, we put our shoes back on and walked with a few Germans to Totaranui. Totaranui is a large campground in the park that is accessible by both road and sea. Most people stop here and get picked up by a bus or water taxi to return to Nelson or Marahau. After a brief stop in Totaranui we continued north. The track went across a couple of absolutely stunning beaches on the way to separation point. Our lunch on the point was shared with a bunch of frolicking seals before we finished the day by hiking to Whariwharangi hut. The hut is a converted homestead that was built in 1897. It was an incredible spot only a couple of hundred meters from the beach, but protected from the wind by bush.

There was no tidal crossing to worry about in the morning and the rain was pouring down so we took our time getting going. We hiked back to Totaranui over the Gibbs Hill track. There are some incredible views from the trail on a nice day, but we saw mostly white. We could have continued on the inland track all the way back to Marahau, but instead opted to get on a water taxi in Totaranui for the quick ride back. On the boat trip we met a couple from Hawaii who told us about their experience kayaking along the coast. After hearing about it we are thinking about returning for a couple of days of kayaking when the weather improves.

Today we are headed south to a Hereford farm near Fox Glacier.

Things we wish that we would have known before we did the hike:

We used Marahau Water Taxi, but Abel Tasman Aqua Taxi costs 2 dollars more per person and saves you almost a kilometer of walking before the trail.

Do not skip the Anchorage Bay area. It is supposed to be one of the most beautiful parts of the park with Te Pukatea Bay ranked as one of the top beaches in the world. We were in a hurry on our long first day and passed it by.

If you are staying at Bark Bay the campground has a much better location than the huts.

If you are staying at Awaroa the hut has a much better location than the campground.

You can arrange to kayak the first day of the trip and then hike the rest if you want which would give you a good feel for both the land and sea.

When the park was formed people who had property within the park were not forced to sell it so you walk through two almost residential areas along the hike and pass a huge lodge with an airstrip. Those parts are not very park like so try to ignore them.

The track is accessible by sea from a lot of different beaches so people come out and do day hikes all over the trail. Beware the hordes of day hikers that start in late morning.