Okarito

The drive from Wanaka to Okarito on the mid portion of the west coast of the South Island was our longest to date. Highway 6 leaves the Lakes region of Te Anau and Wanaka and climbs into the Southern Alps. There is little traffic and much of what we see is tourist sightseeing buses headed for Westland. The mountains are gorgeous as is the weather this day. We make a few stops along the way to see waterfalls and scenic overlooks. At one such stop, we are introduced to what seems to be a tradition of sorts, which is the stacking of rocks into neat little towers. At our first waterfall, we are delighted to see hundreds of these little monuments, mostly about 1-3 feet high...many are carefully balanced and artistic. It’s a charming little scene that gets far more of our attention than the waterfall we came to see. Of course we feel compelled to join in the spirit and construct a number of monuments of our own. From time to time, we see other such stacks at other scenic viewpoints. We are somewhat spoiled by having seeing the amazing sights at Milford Sound, so we are not as easily impressed by mere waterfalls, and don’t spend too much time at the pullouts as we scramble to keep ahead of the buses. We summit at Haast Pass and the highway winds it’s way into Westland and the rugged west coast of the Glacier region. At Haast, we see the Tasman Sea again and drive along the coast in and out of dense jungle like vegetation. We stop at an overlook. the beach below stretches for miles without a footprint. (But there are little stacks of rocks to admire!). The ground is rocky and large flecks of mica cause it to shimmer in the sun. Dianne must collect some shiny bits for later use in her fused glass pieces.

By early afternoon we have reached Fox Glacier, only a few kilometers inland from the highway. It seems wonderfully incongruous to walk through a dense tropical rainforest, and have the trail open up to reveal the face of a glacier. Of course the tour buses are there, but we are able to hike over moraine to some wonderful viewpoints. We are suitably awed, and we’ll have taken many pictures before we’re back in the car, on the final leg to Okarito. Soon we are rolling through the bustling village of Franz Josef, gateway to the glacier of the same name. This will be our destination tomorrow, but for now we just want to get to our night’s accommodation, “Cedar Cabin”. Okarito is a small (population 24) vacation village about 13 Km off the highway nestled by an ocean lagoon. Our holiday Home here is a spiffy cabin with a dramatic mountain view and an easy five minute walk to a broad beach on the Tasman Sea. Again much praise to Colleen, our star travel planner for finding this gem.

After another delicious dinner, we walk to the beach for a glorious sunset with only a few clouds in the sky. When we turn to walk back to the cabin, we can see the jagged, snowy peak of Mt Cook lit with a pink glow slowly fading with the sunset. Once home, we light a fire, pour ourselves a small brandy and salute the day. We watch “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’”, and can’t resist the urge to sing along. Just before retiring, we’ll step out unto the porch, turn out all lights , then look on in amazement at a sky so full of stars that we can hardly believe it. The Milky Way steaks across the sky and faint glowing areas suggest distant galaxies. Just another amazing day.

The next day is full of options for activities. Ed and Colleen consider kayaking in the lagoon and then into the forest rivers, but we have missed the high tide so it is on to plan B. We drive back to Franz Josef Glacier and spend several hours hiking trails and rocky moraine to within a kilometer of the face of the glacier. A quite spectacular place, with dramatic vistas of vertical rock walls, horsetail waterfalls and glacial streams. Driving back through the town we had previously noticed a sign for “Glacial Hot Pools”. This has piqued Dianne’s interest, so after a quick look at the place she signs up for soaking in the hot pools as well as a massage. Meanwhile Colleen. Ed and Phil get information on local trails. Then after lunch at “Full of Beans”, they head back to a trailhead for another forest walk, this time to a small alpine lake called Wombat. We are not sure about the name as there are no marsupials in New Zealand, but it was a lovely trail which surrounded us with lush vegetation and melodious birdsong. When we collect Dianne from her spa pampering, she is suitably relaxed, looking years younger, as she melts into the car seat. We get back to the cabin, rest, refresh then another walk to the beach at dusk. The sky is clear at sunset and Phil gets a picture of the “Green Flash”, although Ed is skeptical. After a late dinner, we do some preparation for the next day’s journey, north along the coast to Punakaki and the famous “Pancake Rocks”.