Driving Day to Arthur's Pass

 

Waimakariri River Valley

We drove north from Okarito to Hokitika where we stopped for coffee and a slice and to use the wifi in their very nice modern library and to find an atm.  Hokitika was the setting for The Luminaries,  the Booker prize winning novel by Canadian-New Zealander¹1 Eleanor Catton about the New Zealand goldrush.  Unfortunately I can't remember much about the book because it is surely the most boring Booker prize winning novel ever written.  I struggled through all 832 pages of it because Leo gave it to me for Christmas (okay I might have skipped a few pages).  Do not recommend.

Nowadays Hokitika is a pretty big town for the west coast with a big wide main street.

And a clock tower in the centre of the roundabout

I left my tablet in the library and had to run back and pick it up where I left it in the toilet! Luckily it was right where I left it.

Hokitika is quite touristy and there were lots of wool stores specializing in merino and possum (!) wool. Not only that but New Zealand supermarkets often have a frozen dogfood section.  Here in Hokitika I noticed a big pack of possum (!) dogfood.  I knew they were poisoning the (invasive) possums but they must also be trapping and/or hunting themtrapping and/or hunting them. 

We continued north, then turned east and up the Taramakau River Valley.  Eventually we drove up into the narrow winding ascent of Arthur's Pass with several construction delays.  We stopped in Arthur's Pass Village to visit the information centre to ask about hikes and the best places to find blue ducks,  rock wrens, and orange-fronted parakeets. 

 You can camp in the parking lot by the info centre but that didn't sound like fun so I'd already booked 2 nights at Hawden Valley Shelter Campsite.  The ranger informed us that yes you could see blue ducks and parakeets in the Hawden Valley but you'd have to hike 18km return up the Hawden River with multiple river crossings to find them. Maybe not.

I didn't realize when I booked but Hawden Shelter is a 30 minute drive down from the Pass.  We came to this beautiful wide river valley (Waimakariri River)

It looked like the perfect setting for a herd of bison, or elk or antelope.  But this is mammalless New Zealand so it was empty.

We crossed the river and followed gravel roads to our campground.  The place was deserted except for a few cars parked for the Hawden Valley Track.  We found a great site

with this fabulous view up the valley:

No sooner had we settled in when we heard some screeching and saw a big bird fly into the tree next to our site. I thought for sure the infamous nuisance Kea had arrived to steal our supper.  I stead it was this guy:

New Zealand Falcon, lifer and Bird of the Day!

He stuck around for a good while, and Leo got some close ups.

We ate supper but the sandflies were coming in by the millions so we went for a long walk to escape them.

Note pants tucked in socks to protect my ankles from the sandflies

We walked over to the start of the Hawden Hut track but soon came to the first river crossing. It was not shallow, so probably a good call not to hike the trail.  We continued to walk until sunset when we returned to the van and moved it away from the trees in an attempt to escape the sandflies.

Then we fled into the van which was now filled with the evil flies.  We turned on our headlamps and systematically squished them by the hundreds as they were attracted to the light.  Finally we could fall asleep.