Nelson and an Introduction to the West Coast

While Doug and Olivia hiked the beautiful Queen Charlotte Track near Picton, I took the opportunity to visit the town of Nelson, located on Tasman Bay at the North end of the South Island. Nelson is a quaint town nestled in the mountains and bounded by the turquoise lapping waters of Tasman bay. I liked the lively vibrancy of this place as it had several art galleries, live music, funky gift shops, and lots of bars and cafés with outdoor seating. Once a town driven by a hippie art culture, it seems it has transitioned some toward affluent development and tourist attraction. The sudden influx of residents in the last few years has given me the impression that the population is growing too quickly for the size and infrastructure. However, this would be a great place to spend a summer working in a bar or art gallery and meeting lots of fun people, so I’ll keep that in mind.

An hour NW of Nelson, I hiked 10 km (6 miles) of the track in the beautiful Abel Tasman National park. I took in view after view of golden sandy beaches and bright turquoise waters along the way. The water is so clear here, and the bays are shallow, allowing you to see underwater rocks and land, making this a really magical place. Many people kayak along the shores here and hike back.

(Abel Tasman National Park, near Nelson)

A few nights later, I met up with Olivia and Doug again in Picton after their hike and we drove to the West Coast of the South Island. As soon as we reached the coastline, the large blue blanket of the Tasman Sea emerged. On one side of the road were beautiful rocky cliffs covered in tropical plants, and large, turbulent blue waves crashing on craggy rocks and beaches on the other. It was absolutely spectacular and like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Olivia and Doug liken it to the coast of the Big Island in Hawaii. We reached the small village of Punikaiki and I stayed in this incredible hostel buried in the rainforest, which has been my favorite hostel thus far. There were several lodges, each with their own bathrooms and kitchens hidden throughout the rainforest and connected by trails. It was an 8 minute walk to the beach, and I could hear the waves crashing all night. This is a place that stress just melts away, and time seems to chug along in slow motion within Zen-like aura. We could only stay one night, but I promised myself I will visit this place again before I leave NZ.

(Punikaiki and Te Nikau Retreat Hostel in the Rainforest)

Punikaiki is home to a famous place called the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. This part of the coastline consists of sedimentary rocks that have been whittled away by wind and sea in such a way as to give the impression of several giant stacks of stone pancakes. There were also several places the ocean crashed against the rock and up through blowholes spraying several feet into the air. This was yet another unique sight belonging to this exquisite land.

The next day we headed further South down this incredible coast line to the twin glaciers Franz Josef and Fox. Maori legend says that these are the two frozen tears of a woman who lost her lover in the mountains due to a fatal fall. Not surprisingly in this temperate rainforest, the weather was cold and rainy and resembled a Seattle winter. Quite predictably, Doug and Olivia’s helicopter tour of Fox Glacier was cancelled. However, in lieu of the helicopter tour, we all went on a ½-day guided hike on to Fox Glacier. During our ascent, we learned a lot about glaciology and erosion from our guide, while still taking in incredible views of valleys and snow capped mountains*. Since it had been raining, there were also waterfalls everywhere! It was safe to fill up my water bottle with ice cold snow melt water from the nearest stream. Imagine the freshness of drinking ice cold mountain water from New Zealand!

This was my first time on top of a glacier and we hiked around it for an hour or so and even got to tramp through a few shallow crevasses. There were a few crevasses we saw that cut deep into the glacier exposing the smooth, dense blue ice**. It was like walking on something that was alive, hearing the sounds of cracking and the trickle of run-off. I really enjoyed being up on the glacier and in the NZ Alps; this was an incredible and inspiring experience.

(Fox Glacier)

Being around the sharp-toothed mountains and glaciers in the wilderness of New Zealand has brought forth some desires I’ve had all my life. I’ve been interested in learning more about glaciers and mountaineering, but never really had a chance to do so. Now I feel I have a great opportunity to do so, which is part of the reason I came to NZ: to explore and experience different things. I may try to get some work with that guide company and hopefully receive some avalanche and backcountry training-we’ll see what happens.

Thank you to all of you who left comments. I really love reading them and it helps me feel less lonely! I really do enjoy hearing your reactions and getting your support, so keep it up and I hope you enjoy the blog!

P.S. How are the pictures working out for everyone? Can you see them ok? Does the website load them ok? I have to use an outside picture host because of the way the computers work down here with blogger.

*Glaciers form when large amounts of snowfall accumulate on steep slopes causing extreme pressure underneath due to the weight of the snow. This initial snowfield, called the Nevé compresses the lower layers of snow and forces them down hill with incredible force, which is responsible for carving and shaping valleys into a U shape. In the process of moving down hill, the glacier grinds bedrock into fine dust which is taken away by run-off. This is what causes glacial streams and lakes to appear milky and colorful.

**The deep blue color of a glacier’s crevasses and caves is because the ice is compressed so much that its denseness traps the blue wavelengths of light.