Gaige's Pages

Day 15-Arthur's Pass to Hamner Springs

Date: 15.11.2003
Start Location:

Arthur's Pass Public Shelter
S: E:

End Location:

Hanmer Springs Top 10 Mountain View
S: 42° 31.674' E: 172° 49.885'

Distance Driven 296km (3378km)

Summary:
Time: 09:24
Location: Arthur's Pass Public Shelter
Name: Move Out
Description:
Contrary to the weather predictions, we did not have "clearing conditions" over night. In fact, the rain became even more intense overnight and left us getting up in the morning to rainy muck that was mostly uninvited on our part. Instead of heading out for some hikes near Arthur's Pass, we decided to drive the rest of the way to Christchurch and probably turn up the East Coast to see what we could find there that wasn't completely inundated with rain.
Time: 10:12
Location:

Craigeburn Range
S: 43° 09.375' E:171° 43.763'

Name: Misty Mountains
Description:

Although still raining, the rain abated enough for us to be able to get some pictures of the mountains enshrouded in cloud and mist.
Time: 10:30
Location: Cave Stream
S: 43° 11.7996' E: 171° 44.564'
Name: Momentary Lapse of Rain
Description:

As we proceeded along Arthur's Pass, we managed to outpace the rain by a little bit. This was fortunate, as we approached Cave Stream. The aptly named stream runs through a cave in the limestone before dumping itself out into the Broken River. Unfortunately, due to the rainy conditions, it wasn't exactly safe to go exploring, and the rain was following close behind, so we packed up the camera gear and headed further east.
Time: 12:33
Location: Christchurch
S: 43° 32.446' E: 171°
Name: The Matrix Revolutions and "real" internet connectivity
Description:

Owing to the bad weather and a general feeling of withdrawal over not having been to a movie in over two weeks, we decided to go into Christchurch and catch The Matrix Revolutions. The review is on Gaige's Pages, but I will say that it was a better film than the second one, The Matrix Reloaded.

The we made our way over to Starbucks to get some internet connectivity using WiFi. The service provider (Reach) is not spectacular, and it wasn't the quality or speed of connectivity that we have grown to expect at home, but I was able to download a number of large documents that'd I'd been missing and some software updates and pictures from friends that came in over email.

Time: 17:57
Location: Christchurch
Name: Left for Hanmer Springs
Description:

At about 6pm, we left to head north toward Hanmer Springs. According to the guidebooks, there would be a number of good "holiday parks" there and thus it would be a good place to grab a shower and power for the night.

The drive up to Hanmer Springs was pretty in itself. I'd be hard pressed to decide between this pass and Arthur's Pass if given the choice to have only driven one.

Time: 19:30
Location: Hanmer Springs
S: 42° 31.674' E: 172° 49.885'
Name: Sunset and Footie
Description:

We arrived in Hanmer Springs in time to set up camp and head over to the local pub to watch the Australia vs. New Zealand match in the Rugby World Cup. On our way, we stopped outside the building for about 20 minutes to watch the sun set and take some pictures.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a mass of enthusiastic All Blacks fans (that's New Zealand's national team) — and it turns out some Australians as well. We grabbed a seat, ordered some food and beverages, and proceeded to sit and watch the rugby match until its conclusion at about 12:30am. A bit sleepy, and somewhat disappointed by the All Blacks loss, we headed back to the camper van and got some sleep. Perhaps next Saturday I'll have better luck rooting for Australia on their home turf.