Day 67 – To the South Island

Having had Internet access for the first time in a while I was up late, catching up on emails and sorting out finances, so only managed 5 hours sleep before having to wake to get to the airport.

I lucked out on the plane, getting an emergency exit seat with no seat in front. Its the first time I’ve sat next to the window since being over 6 foot tall and I’m so glad. the weather was clear, providing one of the most magnificent views of I’ve ever seen from the air. First I saw the flat North Land with its lakes and puffy clouds before getting a glimpse of New Zealand’s so called Mt Fiji, wow! Next it was the turn of the South Island to drop my jaw. The mountains punctured the thin veil of clouds and seem to rise to meet the plane. One word for those ranges, huge!

Arriving in Christchurch we located the car hire company and picked up our trusty steed without issue. With some luck on our side we got a free upgrade to a Toyota Corolla, with a 6 speed gearbox. The extra power and fuel efficiency shall be more than welcome.

Setting off we soon found route 73, the main road across too Greymouth. An hour or so in we stopped off at Dearborne so Tom could make a call. I used the time to collect food supplies and some tape to make running repairs to my bag.

Back on the long open roads the mountains rose from the flat land like a popup book. The sun blazed down on us and whilst not hot it felt like it was burning.

Blue sky’s and green fields led the way to the base of the mountains where the road lazily inclined through to Arthur’s Pass. We stopped off at a place called Devil’s bend to view the viaduct over the valley.

In the final few miles to Greymouth we wound in and out of the estuary and crossed its train tracks, stopping to let a passing freight train through.

We found our destination with ease and were pleasantly surprised by the facilities and hospitality on offer at the global Village Backpackers. We did a spot of shopping down the road and returned to make use of the kitchen and create a delicious Risotto. I do miss cooking.