Our second road trip from Christchurch, just over one hour west brought us into the majestic mountains to Arthur’s Pass.  So beautiful, vast, and unpopulated!  It is like having an enormous playground to yourself!

Leaving Christchurch is flat, across the Canterbury plains, but soon the drive winds you through the foothills and eventually the mountains.  In some places the erosion looks like streaks of gravel amid streaks of green.  Some places such as Castle Rock it looks like rocks have been placed in the hills in a strange but deliberate way.

Many of the hikes in the Arthur’s Pass area are for expert level, we picked the one labeled “advanced”.  The Bealey Spur track was a nice hike, ascending gradually with spectacular views of Arthur’s Pass and the Waimakariri River. It is about 5 hours round trip and ends at the historic Top hut, once used by musterers in the days when the area was farmed for sheep.  We met a Christchurch area walking club along the way and enjoyed some great Kiwi conversation!

After the tramp we stayed at the Bealey Hotel for the evening, near the base of Arthur’s Pass and on the Waimakariri River. The hotel and cabins have been redone but the hotel and property itself has a long history originally opening in the 1800s.  A stunning view of the wide river bed and mountains from our room to enjoy…reminded us a bit of the view of the Torres del Paine from the Tierra Patagonia eco-friendly hotel.

We woke the next morning to drizzle that turned to steady and at times heavy rain as we drove over Arthur’s Pass.  The heavy rain was creating waterfalls along the way as we drove through the rainforest/western side of the mountains.  We eventually made it to the west coast town of Greymouth.  Again rain, but a remarkable drive up north on the Great Coast highway Great Coast Road…a drive that lonely planet rates as one of the top ten coastal drives in the world.

Another beautiful area of NZ and a taste of more to come!  A few more pics below.