Wednesday Mar 1, 2023 - Auckland to Christchurch to Arthurs Pass

 

Shuttle was ready at 4:45 am and our flight left at 6 am. We were both nervous about another missed plane but it all worked out. We saw the old gang at check in, which went pretty smoothly. Quick flight with a half full plane. Landing last night my ear started aching and this morning it was worse with cabin pressure changes. Yup, perfect time for a cold to set in.

Nice weather on both ends and Deb called the car rental place. Moto Cars was as confused as we were between the emails and voicemails Deb had left cancelling a day on the rental and then resuming the car rental. But after a half hour or so, they found a Toyota Yaris (I love small cars! As close to a motorcycle as I am going to get) and they sent the shuttle over and next thing we know, we are driving an almost brand new Toyota on the wrong side of the road, the wrong way around rotaries, yippee!!

Believe it or not there was a McDonald's on the way so we stopped and got an education on ordering coffee. Wow, it makes your head spin trying to order a cup of coffee. Deb even found a tasty McDonald's Chai Latte. Who knew?!

So today we have a couple of hours drive to where we are staying tonight, Arthur's Pass Village, a tiny tourist town in Arthur's Pass National Park up in the mountains. It did not take long to get out of Christchurch and into the countryside. A lot like Scotland or Ireland with lots of sheep, lots of grass being grown, a few veggie fields, but mostly pastures surrounded by hedgerows, nicely trimmed. We passed through the town of Sheffield and the "Famous" Sheffield Pie Shop, so of course we had to stop and pick up a meat pie and a custard tart to split for our lunch later. As we climbed up into the mountains the scenery changed to something like Washington state with big smooth mountains hiding in the clouds and huge glacier looking gravel river beds (but not glacial). The water is crystal clear.

They have a one lane bridge thing here. When you approach a bridge there is a large black arrow and an opposing small red arrow. If the big black arrow is pointed your way then you have the right away. If the little red arrow is pointing your way, you have to wait for anyone driving across the bridge. Works great once you get the hang of it.

The roads here are in great shape. They are not as narrow as the rural UK roads but decent width, well marked and maintained. Damn socialists!

We saw a lot of logging trucks so the timber industry must play a big part here, along with us tourists.

We stopped and hiked at Castle Hill Conservation Area, also called Kura Tawhiti. There is a large appreciation of the Maori culture and history here. And when you see peoples' faces, it is obvious the Maori are still a big part of this island, even with all the pasty Englishmen here. Very nice vibe.

We stopped for a mid-afternoon drink at pretty much the only store/coffee shop/cafe in Arthur's Pass Village (aptly named the Arthur's Pass Store and Cafe) and then found our Air BnB just up the street.

By now my cold was full on so I slept for 2-3 hours and Deb got me up to go the only restaurant in town open tonight, the Bealey Hotel. I ordered a goat burger (have to check that box) and Deb got fish and chips. A cold local IPA to wash it down and then a little stroll to see the sun disappear.

Tonight I have to sleep and kill this cold off.