My bed in the Sundowner Motel had an electric blanket and it kept me warm last night. I woke up (well rested) at 0600 and read until 0700. Eating a light breakfast (milk, chocolates, nuts) in my room, I decided that I wanted to get started on the road while it was still dark. As I departed Greymouth (0715) and started south on Route 6, the sun came up. This provided - by far - the best weather I've had during my entire visit to the South Island! I began to get spectacular views of the mountains along the coast, including the High Peaks of the "Southern Alps". Even though it was miles away, I’m glad to say that I saw Aoraki (Mount Cook) without cloud cover. At Kumara Junction, I got on to Route 73 and headed towards Christchurch. As I headed east, I lost sight of the snow covered peaks to the south but started into Arthur’s Pass. The road was extremely curvy and steep (16% grade in some places) and I was glad for passing lanes (called "slow-car bays" here). I stopped a few times to photograph the majestic peaks on both sides of the deep gorge the road followed - the Otira Valley was particularly amazing! I also had a chance to marvel at several amazing engineering wonders. At the top (Death’s Corner Viaduct Lookout), I pulled into a parking lot to look back down the valley and found a flock of Keas! These birds, a type of parrot that lives in alpine areas of New Zealand, have eluded me for the entire trip. They were definitely living up to their reputation as thieves and used their sharp beaks to try to pry plastic and rubber off of my rental car. What a treat! Heading downhill for a little bit, I arrived at Arthur’s Pass Village. It was still quite early (0900) so I was able to park easily and walk without many other people nearby. I checked out the train station and learned a little about the "TranzAlpine" train that stops in town sometimes. When I later met a National Park ranger (working at Devil's Punchbowl), he told me the train uses a nearby deep tunnel to get through the Pass. Sounds like it would be a great way to get from Christchurch to the west coast of the island! The ranger also talked to me about birds and suggested that the Kea would be a better National Bird for New Zealand (easier to find and sort of a "character"). Since I was up for a walk, I was happy to find there was a good trail that would allow me to visit Devil’s Punchbowl Falls. The hike, which took me through what appeared to be an Alpine Rainforest, was quite wet. The sky was blue and there were very few clouds so I didn't mind the conditions. Once finished with my initial exploring nearby (1030), I got some sandwiches, chips and fruit at the Arthur’s Pass Cafe and ate an early lunch in the company of another Kea who apparently makes his home at the Arthur’s Pass Cafe. He was causing all kinds of trouble for patrons! Finishing my meal, I next visited the Avalanche Creek Waterfall. All of the scenery was very pretty but I still had some driving to do - reluctantly, I departed Arthur's Pass at 1130. This stop was definitely a beautiful way to start my day! Continuing east on Route 73, I made a stop (1215) at Moana Run (Lake Pearson) and had a great conversation with a young rock climber from Berlin. His name was Val and he’d been living and working in New Zealand for several months (and had a few months to go). We talked a lot about the weather and places we both hoped to see and I asked him about how Berlin looked since my visit in 1986. Overall, it was a great exchange! After driving for a little while longer, I made another stop (1235) at the iconic Castle Hill Rocks. They looked like something out of a fantasy movie - tall, strange-looking stones sitting on wide, green plains. I wandered around amongst them for almost 45 minutes - it was a great stop! Because I needed to return my rental car before the Mode Rental office closed for the day, I sadly got back in the car and continued east. After reaching the outskirts of Christchurch (where I saw the first normal traffic light of my trip to New Zealand), I got on a road (Route 1) that took me around the west side of the airport. My Google Maps directed me to the Mode Rental Car return lot but I didn’t see anything when I reached the location. I also didn’t see a gas station, which I needed to make sure my tank was full before turning in the car. As a result, I had to drive a little way (on a busy motorway!) to find a “Z” station. At 1415 , I filled up the tank one last time. From there, I only had a short drive to return to the Mode location - I found it the second time around. It looked very temporary... After meeting with the staff, I (re)completed some paperwork needed to resolve the damage I’d caused because the Christchurch Office hadn’t heard anything from the Queenstown Office. Resolving the details for filing a claim with my insurance company, I felt relieved as I got a shuttle ride to the airport (1445). On the way, we passed the US Antarctic Expedition Hangar - one of my friends uses that building each Summer. Once out of the shuttle, I called the Airport Gateway Hotel at 1500 and then saw their shuttle about 10 seconds after hanging up the phone. The driver (Keith from Australia) remembered me from my visit on May 1 and we were soon on our way to the hotel. We arrived there at 1515 and I checked into my room (the hotel gave me milk for my tea again). I thanked Keith for the suggestions he'd made that had definitely improved my trip. From my room, talked to Cecelia on the phone (1530 to 1550) and updated her on my travel progress. At 1605, I walked to the bus stop near hotel, hoping to get a ride to the CBD. After a short wait, though, I figured out that the buses only ran every 30 minutes. Instead, I walked a few blocks and then waited at another stop. At 1630, I got picked up by Bus 29 (it runs between the airport and bus interchange) into the city center. I remembered that this same ride cost nearly $45 NZD in a taxi when the bus wasn’t running - oh well... Also, the paper bus ticket I got actually included a return (i.e., round trip)! We arrived at the Bus Interchange just after 1700 and I spent some time walking around in the City Center. The damage to the Cathedral was still visible and it was clear that they were still "in the middle" of an extensive repair project. I wandered along the Avon River, taking in the sights, as the sun went down. During my exploring, I located the Riverside Market and (1720) got dinner (chicken teriyaki roll) at The Sushi Platter. Along the way, I used up all of my New Zealand money. Relaxing in the food court area, I reviewed some information about Christchurch that I’d brought with me. Satisfied that I’d seen the “big stuff”, I headed back to the Bus Interchange. When Bus 29 arrived, I looked for my return ticket and found that I’d dropped it. Having nothing but US currency at that point, I sheepishly asked the driver to let me board. He was amused because he said that he usually doesn’t get such a request. I guess he felt sorry for me (he was also going off duty) because he let me board (1800). I successfully reached the bus stop close to my hotel at 1820 and went into the bar (“The Flight Lounge”) to see Jen (the bartender) and try another New Zealand beer. She was quite busy (very short staffed) but we had a nice talk about everything that had happened since my last visit. I ended up ordering some dessert (brownie with ice cream). When I was paying (1915), Jen insisted on giving me the beer for free and wished me a good trip home. Everyone has been so nice to me on this trip! Back in my room again, I packed my belongings as best as I could. I've got one more LONG day ahead. As a result of this thought, I upgraded my seat between Melbourne and LAX to Premium Economy. I also read for a little while before going to bed early (2215). At least, this time, I can at least say I got to explore Christchurch a little bit. It was amazing to see how much work still remains to bring the historic buildings back from the destruction of the 2011 Earthquake. Pretty city center! Homeward bound tomorrow...
