South Island, Here We Come!

By Jen.

The day after Christmas, we spent some time video-calling family who were doing their own Christmas celebrations at the time. Then, it was time to board the ferry! We went with BlueBridge ferry, as they had something open  and  Interislander ferry doesn’t honor the NZMCA discount during the peak season (school holidays). It was a bit of a rainy day, and there was plenty of wind, resulting in water that was a bit choppy. Both Jonathan and I suffered from motion-sickness the entire time we were in the Cook Strait. But, upon entering Queen Charlotte Sound (Totaranui), we were in calm, protected waters and could enjoy ourselves. We shared a table with a family who had just shipped their vehicle over from Australia; it was fun to talk with them.

Upon arrival in Picton, we quickly found a campsite and tried to figure out where we should go next. It is surprisingly hard to go out and enjoy yourself and then find the time to plan your next activity. After some research, we decided to head to Nelson Lakes National Park and climb Mt Robert for views of Lake Rotoiti. On our way there, we were greeted with lots of logging forests, pastures, and vineyards. We had heard that South Island was known for its rugged beauty, but apparently not all of it is untouched wilderness. Like the North Island, much of it has been developed or changed for human use. So instead of being greeted by the beautiful native forests, we were surrounded by imported plants. It had its own charm, but not what we (or at least I) had been expecting/hoping to see. I won’t deny that I am a bit disappointed.

Fortunately at Mt Robert, they had some beautiful, native-beech forests to walk through.



Like in Australia, the alpine (no trees) zone is surprisingly low in altitude. Apparently that is because less than a 100 km away, you are at the sea. So, at the top of Mt Robert at 1421m, we were already well into the alpine region.

The soil is poor here and erosion is rampant.

The next day, we ventured further into the area and walked a path in Murray Creek Goldfields. While few in views, it had some interesting mining equipment and a few birds.

They had massive mile-deep mines! Just look at the pile of tailings, and this is only a small portion of it!

Remnants of the cage.

The entrances were filled in, but the air shafts were still there.

An old boiler.