Road Trip from Christchurch to Queenstown

Day 164 (December 9, 2018) – Arthur’s Pass and the West Coast, South Island, New Zealand

The Saint James Walkway trek had soaked us to the bone, and we couldn’t bear another night of camping, so we caved on our plans to camp the day after our hike and went back to Christchurch for a night of indoor accommodations. We took hot showers, had a decent meal, got a great night’s sleep, and then headed out again on our intended itinerary.

Driving up to the mountains from Christchurch.

Driving along Arthur's Pass.

We lucked out and had perfect weather as we drove from New Zealand’s east coast to west coast over Arthur’s Pass. We didn’t think New Zealand was capable of anything other than rain, but we were proved wrong with blue skies and a strong dose of sunshine. The drive was stunning. The mountains were snow-capped, flowers were in bloom everywhere, and the streams were crystal clear. I think this is what our Saint James Walkway hike was supposed to look like, but all we got were gray clouds and way too much rain. 

Near the top of Arthur's Pass. You could see every rock under the crystal clear water.

We stopped at the top of Arthur’s Pass for a quick lunch and then continued down the other side. The foliage seemed to change completely as we headed downhill to the west coast. It felt almost tropical with overgrown ferns and plants threatening to creep onto the road. We ended the night at a campsite on a beautiful lake near the Franz Josef Glacier.

At our campsite at Lake Mapourika, near Franz Joseph Glacier.

Relaxing at our campsite after a long day of driving.

The next morning, we got an early start and continued driving south along the coast. We chose to drive past the Franz Josef Glacier and onward to Fox Glacier because we heard there was supposed to be a good hiking trail there. Turned out to be a mistake. The hiking trail at Fox Glacier was flooded and we weren’t allowed in. All we got was a scenic viewpoint of the glacier from very far away. It was too far to drive back to the Franz Josef Glacier, so we abandoned our plans of seeing the west coast glaciers. It turned out to be ok though because we would get to see even more impressive glaciers on our Mueller Hut hike a week or so later.

The scenic overlook of Fox Glacier. We were hoping to get closer, but this was the best we got.

The zoom on my camera makes it look more impressive than it was.

We made a stop at Ship Creek Park, where we went on a couple of nature walks on the beach and in the forest. The Tasman Sea was absolutely frigid, but it was still pretty to look at. It was a good stop to stretch our legs and grab a snack. 

The temperate rain forest of New Zealand's west coast. It rains all the time like a tropical rain forest, but it's cold.

At the beach looking out over the Tasman Sea.

From there we continued onward, over the Haast Pass, past Lakes Wanaka and Hawea, through the gorgeous Crown Range Road, and then down into Queenstown. We took the long way around New Zealand to get from Christchurch to Queenstown but I’m glad we did. We would later take the direct journey back and it wasn’t nearly as picturesque.

Bundled up at the beach. You wouldn't want to go swimming here.

At the very windy Lake Wanaka.