Wednesday 12^th. March.

First of all I have corrected my spelling of Avalanche in yesterday's post. 

After walking – and festering up top – all day yesterday, today will be all driving, as I aim to get to the top of the island to do the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, and have a deadline in that I am scheduled to arrive at Norman and Monica’s on Sunday.

So I have 2 days to get to Motueka (middle top of the Island) and organise a 2 day walk.

At the start of the day I get in the car at Arthur’s Pass and head down the other side; by the end of the day I will have driven 650 km. in 10 hours, and crossed the country twice, just to see what it is like.

Arthur’s Pass continues south, east, south then south east to the Canterbury Plains as it is the main road to Christchurch. As you head down the Pass it soon widens and levels out to a long, broad, flat

Valley, hemmed in by the always steep mountains, which are green forest clad to start, but as you gently wind down eastwards the forest gives way to scrub bush, then arid limestone grassland, until you hit the plains, where it is fairly arid agriculture for a start, then increasingly more very lush irrigated dairy country.

Not many photos as I don’t stop too often whilst driving, and unless there is a viewpoint you cannot easily stop on winding roads, as there is always traffic on these roads. Whilst driving you may not notice much traffic as everyone including lorries is moving at the same pace, but if you stop you will notice a vehicle every minute or so.

In the limestone area there is caving and rock climbing as well as walking.

 

One place near here I regret not stopping was Castle Hill, with limestone rock formations described as tors, like a giant British Iron Age Henge, and obviously of very high spiritual significance to the Maori: I must try and get a postcard or photo from somewhere.

As you hit the plains you first come to Springfield, then Sheffield and Waddington so very different from their British namesakes; small sprawling towns with hardly a building above one story. I would have liked to gone by Oxford but I had a specific reason to come back to this area, so ended up circling the suburbs of Christchurch, before which in the outer southern previously unbuilt areas there are extensive new build housing estates, to replace those lost in the Earthquake. Since my stay in the relatively unaffected western suburbs of Christchurch, I have since learned that industry and housing to the south and east of the city centre was devastated, as much due to the liquefaction of the ground to a metre deep sludge which filled the streets and houses, as much as anything else. In places people are still living in their condemned homes. They are safe enough, but floors are buckled and doors won’t close etc. and insurance holdups are still ongoing 3 years on, much to the anger of some residents, but the physical task is enormous.

Then head north as I want to drive back to the West Coast by the Lewis Pass, which is a longer steadier transition than Arthur’s Pass, but less traffic as the latter is much more direct from Christchurch to the West Coast. More of the same, but slightly different terrain and vegetation, and just a joy to drive through.

 

Hit the West Coast again

 

By the end of the now late day I have reached Punakaiki and find motel room accommodation attached to the pub where I get a meal just before last orders, and a good night's sleep.