Arthur's Pass Drive to Greymouth January 17, 2000
Heading
from Christchurch to the west coast of New Zealand's South Island means going over the
mountains. But first you pass through the Canterbury plains,
where vegetables, grapes and sheep are grown. Then into the foothills of the
Southern Alps and finally up the windy road to Arthur’s Pass. The road
has at least a dozen narrow bridges, almost all one-lane, so you have to wait
your turn when there’s traffic (which there wasn’t the days we went).
It’s
summer, so there are only small patches of snow left at the highest elevations,
but it’s scenic country nonetheless, as these photos show. 
The riverbed, which the highway
follows, is wide and rocky,mostly dry with only narrow streams of
water. Apparently it’s usually dry, only filling up when heavy rains fall on the
mountains. There are lots of wild flowers this time of year, but a field
of these purple
ones was the most spectacular. The Alps are full of ski opportunities, and
there are hiking tracks (trails) for
backpackers and mountain bicyclists to enjoy. Kiwi's are really keen on
the outdoors, and lots of them go packing, trekking, orienteering or
bicycling 'round the countryside.
Down the other side of the mountain, you end up a little south of Greymouth, a small city/town on the west coast. Its main livelihood is tourism and it offers a few things to do, such as 4-wheel bike rides and canoeing. It even has some good restaurants. We stayed at the Rosewood B&B, which we liked. We've found that B&B's are comfy and a great source of information. It's also a way to meet some Kiwis and other travelers.
On this trip, we drove over the mountains,
but the ride from Chch to Greymouth can be done on the
TranzAlpine railway, one of the most scenic
train rides in the world. Ian, the owner of Rosewood, is happy to pick up
guests at the train station, should you wish to go that way. 