Arthur's Pass and Westland

We met Peter and Ruth (Helen's parents) in Christchurch with their newly aquired white rental van. We headed back though Castle Hill, now with the hill tops sprinkled with snow, to Arthur's Pass National Park and did a fantastic one day tramp to the top of Avalanche Peak, with its supurb views of the surrounding mountains.

From there we headed to the goldfields of the rugged West Coast, exploring Hokitika and Lake Kaniere. We spent Christmas at Franz Josef Galcier, walking up to the terminal face and having a Christmas treat of a scenic flight over the Southern Alps, around Mount Tasman, Aoraki/Mount Cook and over the Fox, Franz Josef and Tasman glaciers.

The weather then changed for the worse so we headed south, quicker than planned, through typical Westland driving rain, over Haast Pass to better weather on the other side of the divide.


The newest members of our travelling contingent

Two vans in Castle Hill basin, the tops dusted by the previous day's snow

The Alpine Highway towards Arthur's Pass

Mount Rolleston from Avalanche Peak

Ruth and Peter approach the lofty summit of Avalanche Peak after a hefty 1000m climb from the valley floor

Aroaki/Mount Cook.... one day

Mount Tasman from our plane, just wanted to get dropped off (but not too close to the top, where's the fun in that!)

Christmas Day at the Franz Josef glacier

Christmas dinner -BBQ lamb, fried potatoes and veg plus Xmas pud and custard!!