As Queenstown is filled with quaint cafes and skiers, I decided to try and leave before it got crowded – so I was up and headed for the showers at 7:00 a.m. – which you have to realize is about an hour and ten minutes before the sun comes up this time of year. When I opened the van door, I knew the temperature had dropped below freezing overnight – the ice and frozen ground in my campsite were my clues, and the sky looked mostly clear.
The showers were $2 for 8 minutes of hot water (the cold water is free!), so I deposited my $4 and showered up. I went back to van, finished dressing, and had the van packed up and in travel mode by 8:00 a.m. Over at the kitchen, I made a cup of coffee to go with my bowl of puffed wheat and milk. The dishes were washed, and I was rolling at 8:50 a.m.
With the clear skies, I could see some of the nearby ski hills; this is Cecil Peak, which is actually across Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown. I took the Malaghan Road bypass out of town (inadvertently), and rejoined SH 6 northbound in Arrowtown. The traffic on SH 6 was light, and the road was primarily sweeping curves as I followed the Kawarah River to Cromwell.
I chose the longer distance (92 km) route on SH 6 through Cromwell to Wanaka, rather than the shorter distance (52 km) direct route from Arrowtown to Wanaka as you’re advised to carry chains on the shorter route – which I don’t have in this rented van. This route also takes you through Gibbston, which is New Zealand’s Napa Valley”
Fuel stops are at least 100 km apart on this route, so I decided to fill up at virtually every stop – so I gassed up in Wanaka around 11:15 a.m. About 65 km north of Wanaka, I entered Mount Aspiring National Park, and the Southern Alps. The sunshine I had enjoyed all day quickly vanished, the clouds rolled in, and by noon, I was driving in steady rain. Until I hit the top of the pass at “The Gates of Haast”, where the rain changed to light snow:
I thought that since I was at the top of the pass and descending, that the snow would transition back to rain just as quickly. Not so; the snow continued, and I was descending the pass in one, then two, then probably three inches of wet, slippery (duh) snow. Plows appeared, along with grit (gravel & cinder) spreaders, but there was at least 2 km where I didn’t exceed a walking pace, as any loss of traction could have had real consequences.
I picked my way on through the snow for about an hour before the snow changed back to heavy rain, And that was the story of the rest of the day; the rain was constant and heavy as I entered Haast Village around 2:15 p.m., and decided to beat feet northward in case the snowy weather decided to follow me north. I had considered stopping in the town of Franz Josef Glacier around 4:15, but based on a conversation with a ranger at the Department of Conservation, I decided to continuet past Mount Hercules as he indicated it gets quite icy in this area in the morning. The next town was Hokitika, still 140 km further north. It had been a long day already, but I decided to push on. The rain continued non-stop until about 10 km south of Hokitiki, which also accounts for the lack of photos accompanying today’s blog.
I arrived in Hokitika at 6:15 p.m., and checked in to the Hokitika Holiday Park. A “takeaway” (carry-out) restaurant provided an order of fish & chips for dinner, and I’m sitting here in the (unheated) lounge typing this while it periodically rains heavily outside. Now it’s time for bed; tomorrow is another primarily travel day, as my plan is to try and make it over Lewis Pass back toward Christchurch tomorrow afternoon. Pray for “warm” weather and that the pass stays open long enough for me to make it through!
Campervan mileage: 545 km for the day
No comments:
Post a Comment