Friday, July 10 - Over the (Southern Alps) hills and through the (Alpine Forest) woods, to the West Coast we go...

 “ And the snow was glittery, and it looked like someone dusted powdered sugar all over, and we got to see a hare and it’s tracks, and we got to ice skate on a pond with our shoes, and slide down where the hill had ice, and it was AWESOME!!! “ – Tupelo at Castle Hill 7-10-15

…And this was just the beginning.  Or at least near the beginning of our five-day West Coast trip…

Shopping cart with supplies for the Croesus Track overnight ike. There is PB and J in there too and Mark and the students picked out gourmet freeze dried food at Katmandu for their dinner.  Sandwiches will also be made at Maggies Kitchen in Greymouth that will go up the hike with everyone.

 Backing up just for a moment: One of the fun and daunting parts of the course is being the group’s Mom.  For some of our excursions we have to make sure that there are enough supplies, and by supplies, I mean food groups, and by food groups I mean the ones that have calories and help sustain the students….OK, so really I mean chocolate and cookies because I want them to enjoy themselves too, but… seriously, packing for an overnight hike needs to have enough food to keep everyone satiated, but not too much weight because 5 hours uphill can make one grouchy if one is both hungry AND one’s pack feels like lead weight.  So no beany weanies in cans. : )     For the Croesus Track hike we get “gourmet”  freeze-dried dinners and lightweight means like oatmeal packs and granola bars, etc.  Two heaviest food items in each pack – a NZ carrot and one giant chocolate bar (EACH) which made the bagger at the grocery store want to come with us (the chocolate bar, not the carrot)…

View to the Southern Alps from the side of the road.

D'oh!  Springfield!  Where is Homer?

So I digress, but with, hopefully, enough food loaded up in the car (Note: there is a second box in the Gatorwakawaka with just snacks for the driving part of our five-day trip), and leaving a few days early to chase good weather on the West Coast, we were off for longer overnight adventure.  It was cold and frosty when we left at sunrise (8am) on Friday morning, but it was so clear and the Southern Alps in the distance were beckoning us.  We were off through Arthur’s Pass. as we got to the foothills, we had to stop in Springfield to take a picture with the sculpture artwork.

Perfect snow.

Tupelo demonstrating the "glittery" properties of the snow in the sunshine.

Walking up to Castle Hill.

Sliding down Castle Hill.

Next stop, Castle Hill, …oh…wait…snow chains (again!).  The transportation association in New Zealand (NZTA) was wonderful.  They had a traffic stop in place to make sure that only four wheel cars or those with snow chains could go on the early morning roads, AND they guys even put our chains on our cars for us to be sure they were on properly.  So great and efficient.  The roads were actually quite clear on our way to Castle Hill which is a beautiful stop about an hour from Christchurch where limestone rocks stand in magnificent formations carved by the elements over time.  We were one of the first cars to arrive there that day to pristine snow.  It literally looked like it had glitter in it and made a very satisfying sound when walked upon.   We hiked up to the rocks and explored (and all of the things in Tupelo’s quote above), before moving on to the Arthur’s Pass National Park.  A short distance past Castle Hill, the NZTA had another stop where they took off our chains and let us know that all roads ahead were fine and clear (which they were). 

As we continued on to the National Park, we took in the breathtaking views of the Southern Alps in their fresh dusting of snow.  There are lakes and braided rivers along the way that add to the magnificent scenery.

Tea Time at Arthur's Pass National Park.

Devil's Punchbowl Falls from the bottom before we hiked up.

On the second bridge on our way to the falls.

We spot Colin and Dean just as they spot us coming back down the hike.

A cold Kea at the Overlook.  He was even too cold to be cheeky and chew on the rubber molding on our car windows (something they love to do if they can get away with it).

View from the Overlook heading west.

Once in Arthur’s Pass National Park proper, we, of course, took a tea break .  In true New Zealand form, we proved what a small world/country it is.  We ran into Andrew (who we met at Hinewai just three days before) and his wife who were on their way over to their batch on the West Coast.  (Later, we ran into Hugh Wilson’s older brother who lives up in the pass as we were coming off of a hike)!  We all sat out in the sunshine and hoped to spot a Kea (alpine parrot) for which this area is famous.  No such luck so we walked down the street to the Department of Conservation Visitor’s Center and on the way saw a Kea fly up into a tree (they have an impressive six-foot wing span with red feathers on the underside). Finally, we saw one closer as we got back into the vans to go to the start of our hike.  We enjoyed the chance to get close and personal with alpine plants as we walked up to Devil’sPunchbowl Falls all spruced up in snow.  It was beautiful.  Just as we arrived almost back to the car park, we met up with Dr. Meurk and Dr. Anderson who will be joining us on our big hike on the West Coast.  We stopped at a lookout to see a few more (chilly) Keas and the Viaduct area before we set out for our final destination for the night – Greymouth on the West Coast.   

West Coast here we are! Students heading out to check out the sunset on the Tasman Sea.

Dinner at Steamers.

Hanging out for a few minutes - enjoying ice cream in a cold indoor pool building.

We arrived just as the sun was setting on the Tasman Sea in this part of the country that is temperate rainforest!  It is amazing how the land and plants transformed on our passage across the Alps from the Canterbury plains to the Alpine Beech forest to the Tree Ferns of the West Coast.  We stowed our gear at the motel, ate dinner out, and then set about getting all of our packs in order for our big hike before we had ice cream and sat around the hot tub.  Not really that warm in the indoor pool building we were in, but still fun to be together.

Then off to bed to rest up for another great adventure! – Meryl : )