Otehake Hot Springs April 8-9

The original plan was to hike into the Otehake River valley to camp adjacent to the Otehake hot springs. Unfortunately time got away from us and we set off in the dark. Navigational vagaries in the dark night had us going almost in circles before we finally found the right trail...and the right valley. We ended up camping well short of our goal and set off the next day with light packs for the hot spring. The hike was nicer than expected and really quite variable- we passed through pleasant forest and past a beautiful lake. We then went up the short Otehake gorge which required several waist deep crossings (enjoyable in the warm weather) and then crossed river flats to reach the hot springs. Wiffs of sulfur on the way attest to the presence of other hot springs. Awaiting us were three pools between large river boulders in an abandoned stream channel. The pools were warm enough to require some engineering and acclimatization. We had a pleasant soak in this nice spot and were reluctant to leave in the end. I scored a wasp sting on the hike out that generated a surprising dose of pain.


Lake Kaurapataka

Franz Josef Glacier April 7-8

We set off under a covered sky, past the hordes in their tourist best, as we strode gallantly by with our ice axes, crampons and laden packs. I couldn't help but sample the reactions, which ranged from curiosity to jealousy to painful self-realization. We hiked up the moraine, strapped on our crampons and off we went up the glacier. The glacier guides' trail was very convenient and made travel on the lower glacier rather straightforward. Occasionally we would run into the caterpillar trains of touristas and wait for them to pass. We passed the Defiance Icefall and easily found a convenient place to get off the glacier and stash our ice gear for the return. A 600m vertical climb up a scree slope opposite a 300m high waterfall found us at the Castle Rocks Hut, our humble, but grandiose, home for the night. This bright red hut sits on the edge of a precipice with commanding views of the upper snowfields and peaks of the Franz Josef Glacier, the Fritz Range and Unser Fritz Falls. The clouds lifted just in time for a glorious sunset and the million dollar view. I snapped photos furiously as I admired water in liquid, solid and vapor form and struggled to take in the panoramic view.

The next day we had a leisurely breakfast before heading back down to the glacier to explore the Pinnacle Icefall. By now I had become so accustomed to the regular drone of helicopters that I could effectively tune them out. We explored crevices and caves and enjoyed their deep blue glow.

I am no glaciologist but I couldn't help but think of the Franz Josef Glacier as a sick and dying entity. From the accounts I heard the glacier has lost significant thickness and even has a big hole in it that has grown over the last twenty years. The lack of deep crevices, abundance of surface water and soft surface of the glacier in many places also did not seem to bode well.

Thanks to Lara.






Castle Rocks Hut, Franz Josef Glacier & Unser Fritz Falls

Paturau April 2-5

To borrow from Steinbeck: Paturau on the South Island of New Zealand is a texture, a memory, a quality of light, a color of water, a cup of tea, a good friend, a jewel, a feeling.

At the end of a long dirt road on a forgotten coast, over causeways across a shallow inlet and through dense rainforest is a place very special to me. It is a place of sculpted limestone and nikau palms. Of caves and sunsets. A place for relaxation and inspiration.

It is here in the idyllic paddock by the sea that Kiwi cavers and their families flock from all over to spend Easter together as one family. Activities are nearly endless in this paradise: caving, climbing, kayaking, surfing, mountain biking, tramping, fishing, slacklining, even water sliding. I spent a half day prospecting with a friend and found a dozen small, but virgin, caves complete with moa bones. I had a great time catching up with good friends and enjoyed a roaring campfire. I visited at least one cave a day and caught two spectacular sunsets. I confirmed something I long suspected: strawberries and sunsets go very well together.

The beach is an exercise in subtlety. It is not overly gaudy, but each detail down to the patterns in the sand, sinuous curves of wave-sculpted rocks and beautiful textures is a masterpiece. Each year I visit I find the beach a little different. Art that doesn't age but is in constant flux.

At the end of our restful weekend we drove on to Wharariki Beach and later on to Ford Creek on the West Coast.

Rainbow Road April 1-2

I have been curious about the Rainbow Road for some time now and decided that it would be the perfect way to break up the long drive to Paturau. Fortuitously, this was the last weekend of the year the road would be open before it closed for 9 months. The Rainbow Road is a 112km long high clearance 4WD gravel road connecting Hamner Springs to St Arnaud via the large and remote Rainbow and Molesworth Stations. The road has many unbridged stream crossings and occasional washouts, both requiring delicate maneuvering in my modestly-clearanced car. The road traverses the Clarence and Upper Wairau River valleys and gains a windswept height of 1347m at the Island Saddle. Spectacular views of the tussocky high country and melting greywacke mountains of scree are only marred slightly by the ever-present power pylons. Despite the constant evidence of man's ambition (roads, bridges, fences, power lines), there is a quiet loneliness to the road that is effective in resonating its isolation. Even for a holiday weekend, we passed very few people. I enjoyed a cozy night by the stove in the 4-bunk Island Gully Hut. The longdrop had a particularly nice view. The following day we continued north where several washouts and streams had me wondering whether my car would make it through. I took my time when an obstacle presented itself and heard surprisingly few scratching noises from the bottom of my car. The Keen Machine faired well and we continued on our way to Golden Bay and Paturau.


The lonely boulder


Melting mountains of scree