Arthur's Pass

We drive south from Westport, towards the Punakaiki - The Pancake Rocks.

Over the years, the ocean has shaped the limestone on the coast into stacks, and it's become one of New Zealand's most-visited sights - similar, I suppose, to the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. Rock walls and walkways have been built, and we take a 20-minute walk in the rain to check out the famous coast.

It is geologically interesting, but the rest of the coast is just as interesting, I think. Palm trees and New Zealand flax lead into the Pacific, which breaks up the land. The Lonely Planet reckons this drive to be one of the top ten road trips in the world - and I can see why.

Finally, we pass Greymouth and head east, towards Arthur's Pass. This is meant to be one of the best train trips in the world, but the rental car is much cheaper. It's my turn to drive though, and I have fun, winding through impressive mountains, over slopes and gentle curves, and on the other side, too. It is only the second time I've driven on the left.

We arrive in Arthur's Pass as it is getting dark, and starting to rain.

We get beds in the YHA Hostel, which is very nice actually, and since it's the slow season, we have the dorm room to ourselves. As temperatures drop outside, we spend the night with the heater on, sitting on the top bunk, drinking red wine and playing trivial pursuit. We cheat a little, and get uncontrollable bouts of the giggles, making sleep impossible.

Next morning dawns bright and beautiful. In the sunny kitchen, we make a big breakfast and pack a lunch, then pack up the car and head into the hills.

John practically drags me up the mountain. We cross several cold streams, and climb up several rock faces as well. Mostly, the track is a vertical climb over loose stones, with exposed tree roots serving for handholds. We can hear one bird singing far away.

The sunshine is hot above the tree line, and we can see some magnificent views from the summit of Avalanche Peak. John whistles to himself, and attracts a female bell-bird, who follows him curiously for awhile, getting daringly close and peering at him critically from one black eye.

In the afternoon, we drive to the east coast, all the way to Kaikoura - about five hours. The rain and the fog hit us north of Christchurch. We listen to music and the sound of the windshield wipers smearing greasy water over the windscreen.

By the time we arrive, we can hardly see through all the water. In the darkness, little rivers splash into the gutters throughout the town. We book two nights in a big hostel with a hot tub and wood fireplaces, and I hope to see an albatross. Unfortunately, the next day we can't see a thing. Here is a picture of me at the town lookout, which overlooked nothing, as far as we could tell.

On the Sunday, our time on the South Island comes to an end. We say a final goodbye to Donelle, drop off the car, and get on the ferry to Wellington.

I may have a catering job the following weekend, and John will start work on Tuesday. After that, who knows?