South Island trip Finale

Arthur's Pass

We have had such good luck with the weather throughout the entire trip, that on the second to last day when it poured cats and dogs as we left Franz Josef, we were not overly disappointed.

We drove up the west coast towards Hokitika and then inland from Kumara Junction. We arrived at Arthur's Pass just past lunch time. It was raining heavily. We checked out our "accommodation" for the night. We weren't expecting gold leaf wallpaper and plush carpets, but as we pulled up into the driveway of the "shack", Donna and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.



Sometimes, you CAN judge a book by its cover. The inside was cold and damp. It had the feel of a mountain hut. The toilet was outside the front door and so cramped that your knees touched the wall when you sat down. There were 2 rooms, one with a double bed and one with a single bed. The sheets looked like a million people had slept on it and had never been washed. There were questionable stains on the covers. Donna complained of "itchiness" after sitting on the couch - which also had questionable stains. I laid down a layer of plastic sheet (made out of garbage bags)before I would sit on the other couch.

Alice and I had dinner at the only open restaurant in town that night - The Wobbly Kea. We took our time before returning to our accommodation. Alice slept on one couch in the living room and Donna and Jacob shared the second couch. I ended up sleeping in the car that night. While it wasn't uncomfortable, the temperature dropped overnight and so it was incredibly cold.

The next day, we packed up just as soon as we were up, and drove into Christchurch. We had breakfast at McDonald's (well deserved hot breakfast after an uncomfortable night for all of us!) and spent some time at the Riccarton mall before we flew back.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip. We probably couldn't have planned it any better and couldn't have wished for better weather. Except, of course, for the final leg of our journey. Still, everyone enjoyed themselves, and it was a very good trip indeed!


Wet, cold dreary day at Arthur's Pass