Christchurch to Hokitika, New Zealand

We rented a Toyota Rav4 to travel around the South Island, which turned out to be a great choice and provided a comfortable ride all the way. Sam did all the driving, as David's driver's license had expired and he could not get it renewed in time for the trip.

One-lane bridges
Driving on the left-hand side of the road did not prove to be difficult and the only other thing we had to get used to, was these one-lane bridges that are all over the South Island (literally all over!). Fortunately it is clearly indicated who has right of way at every bridge (different at each one) and we didn't come across any major problems.

Aotearoa
The indigenous Maori people call New Zealand "Aotearoa", which translated means "The Land of the Long White Cloud". We thought this was very fitting, as we saw white clouds on numerous occasions, form a long white "blanket" over the mountain ridges.

Car journey begins

We started our car journey in Christchurch and made our way in a westerly direction towards the Southern Alps, the West Coast and the Tasman Sea. It took us about two hours to reach Arthur's Pass. Along the way we saw lots of beautiful scenery and animals.

Arthur's Pass
Arthur's Pass, that cuts through the Arthur's Pass National Park, is one of the few roads that goes from Christchurch (on the east coast), through the Southern Alps to the West Coast. We got to see some spectacular scenery in this area.

Otira Valley and Gorge
Shortly after Arthur's Pass, we came to the Otira Valley and Gorge. It was in this area that we saw the most beautiful Rata trees. Rata trees are native to New Zealand and they are known for their spectacular red flowers.

The Kea Parrot
The Kea Parrot is found in the forested and alpine areas of the South Island. They are very intelligent and curious birds, and are considered to be pests by the locals and some tourists. They have been known to peck away at things, fly off with people's belongings and ply apart the rubber parts of cars. We had our own encounter with a Kea. This particular bird landed very hard on the roof of the car with a thump (gave Sam quite a scare) and began pecking away at the windscreen's rubber seal. Fortunately it flew off after a group of tourists arrived and parked next to us.

Cows
We got to see many cows and cow farms around the South Island. The beef and dairy industry in New Zealand is huge and many of the products are exported to other parts of the world. A recent statistic found that the cow population in New Zealand is close to 6 million, thus exceeding the human population!

The Fern
There are over 190 species of native ferns founds in New Zealand. The Silver Fern (similar to the one in the photo, but silver in colour) is the New Zealand emblem and can be equated to the Canadian Maple Leaf.

Deer
We saw many deer during our travels around the South Island. Ironically, deer are not native to New Zealand and the first deer were imported to New Zealand from the United Kingdom. Most were released in the Southern Alps area, as this environment is the most ideal. Today deer farming in New Zealand is a big industry, with most of the deer products being exported to other parts of the world.

Hokitika
Hokitika was once a thriving port during the gold rush of the 1860's. We made our longest stop of the day in Hokitika. Hokitika is a quaint little seaside town with lots of arts and crafts shops. Hokitika is known for its crafted jewellery shops selling Pounamu (the Maori name for New Zealand jade) and Goodletite (contains ruby, sapphire and tourmaline crystals). Amongst all the arts and crafts shops, we came across a special shop selling the most beautiful and unique stone paintings. Upon entering the shop, we found out that the artist and shop owner is an ex-South African by the name of William Steyn. William Steyn paints his version of Kiwis and Nikau tress on stone and no two are the same. We had an enjoyable time talking to him about life in New Zealand, his experience with tourists from all over the world and the current state of affairs in South Africa.

Hokitika to Franz Josef and Fox Glacier, New Zealand

After a relaxing stop at the seaside town of Hokitika, we drove south to the Westland Tai Poutini National Park. The biggest highlights of this park are the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. The impressive development of both these glaciers is largely due to the West Coast's abundant rain. We visited both these glaciers and it was one of the highlights of our trip.

Franz Josef Glacier
The Franz Josef Glacier is known to the Maori people as Ka Roimata O Hine Hukatere (Tears of the Avalanche Girl). Legend has it that a girl, who lost her lover after he fell from the local peaks, cried after his death and her flood of tears froze to form the glacier. This glacier was first explored by Europeans in 1865 and was named after the Austrian emperor at the time. After a period of retreat, the Franz Josef glacier started advancing again in 1985 (some experts estimate that it has advanced by up to 70 cm per day). From the car park, we took a twenty minute walk to the look out point, where we got a view of the magnificent glacier.

Fox Glacier

After our stop at the Franz Josef Glacier, we drove about 24 kilometres to the town of Fox Glacier, where we located the B&B that we were going to stay at for the evening. By this time it was quite grey, so we decided to wait until the next day to go to the Fox Glacier look out point. That evening after dinner, we walked around the town and saw scenic helicopter rides being advertised. Up to this point we hadn't even considered taking a helicopter ride to see the glaciers and Mount Cook. Upon returning to our accommodation, we asked for some advice from the owner of the B&B and she suggested that if the weather was good the next day, it was definitely something worth doing. We gave her the go ahead to make a booking for us the next morning (it was already late and the helicopter sightseeing companies were all closed for the day). At this point we weren't sure if we would be able to get a booking or if the weather conditions would be ideal for flying the next day (the scenic helicopter tours could not take place on the day we arrived because of the weather).
We both got up early the next morning and the first thing we did was look outside the window.......it was a beautiful clear day and the mountains were visible ! While we were getting ready, we heard some helicopters in the sky and this was a great sign. Shortly thereafter, the owner of the B&B informed us that she was able to make a booking for us at 10:00 am.
We had a few hours before our helicopter ride, so after breakfast we took a drive to the Fox Glacier look out point, and also to a spot that the owner of the B&B suggested to view the Southern Alps including Mount Cook and Fox Glacier.

Scenic Helicopter Ride
We arrived at the tour office and were driven a short distance to the hanger. In total we were seven people, including the pilot. This was the first helicopter ride for both of us and it turned out to be a really fantastic experience. The route took us over the town of Fox Glacier, over the Franz Josef Glacier, along the Southern Alps where the pilot pointed out majestic Mount Cook and Mount Tasman, and then on to Fox Glacier. We landed at the top of Fox Glacier and got the opportunity to get out and walk around. This was amazing, actually the whole experience from start to finish was amazing. The glaciers and mountains are so beautiful and to see them from above was something else. This was definitely one of the major highlights of our trip.