TheTraveler

 

Glaciers, Rain Forest, Gold and Greenstone
By Nick Sault

You may have heard about South Island New Zealand's Fiordland - Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound are magical locations that place highly in the tour guides' bible. However, nature has not designed these rugged but beautiful places for touring. You drive, boat or fly in, ooh and aah at the splendor of the dark waters walled by towering pinnacles, and then leave. If you are one of those travelers like me that likes to hire a car and go see the sights for yourself, the remainder of the South Island's west coast provides a wonderland of forest, mountain, sparkling streams, deep blue ocean, and wonderful quiet.

About 200 miles of coastal road provides a tantalizing glimpse of this almost primeval region. Where else in the world can you view a glacier close up from within a rain forest, and you didn't have to be a mountaineer or explorer to get there? Hidden now by the awesome beauty of primeval forest, are vestiges of the 19th century gold rush that paralleled the Californian one. Pan for gold, or look out for pieces of New Zealand's special greenstone sparkling in the crystal mountain streams.

Getting to the west coast can also be a memorable journey. You fly into the South Island's largest city, Christchurch. You could hire your car here and drive across the spectacular Arthur's Pass, it's only a few hours. But why not treat yourself to one of the top rail journeys in the world, the Trans-Alpine Express, and see those gorges, crystal blue rivers, and snowy peaks while sipping special New Zealand lager. The Trans-Alpine takes just a morning, and at the other end in the port town of Greymouth, you can hire your car for your tour down this awesome coast.

Greymouth is not a prepossessing town, so don't hang here for lunch, but drive half an hour south to Hokitika, the greenstone capital of New Zealand. Look out for your pocket book here, because once you see the plethora of stores selling fine greenstone (jade) jewelry and ornaments, you may find your greenbacks disappearing fast.

Hokitika sits on a coastal plain, and you may wonder where those mountains and forest went, though they beckon as a distant backdrop. However, as you continue south, you enter the realm of Middle Earth, remembering that the magical scenes in the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in New Zealand. The mountains come back to meet the sea, numerous deep blue coastal lakes emerge from behind massive forest buttresses, and you will find yourself oohing and aahing like those day trippers to Milford Sound, only unlike them you are your own travelling boss.

It will take the remainder of the day to reach Franz Josef Glacier, but what a drive. Stay at one of the comfortable motels in the township (book ahead in the high season, December to February). Franz Josef and its neighboring Fox Glacier, a little further down the coast, represent two of the only glaciers in the world outside of polar regions that reach down to almost sea level. You can walk unguided along the river flat to the face of the glacier, or with just a little extra effort climb through primeval rain forest to vantage points that enable you to see the whole giant ribbon of ice. If you are a bit more intrepid, you can actually join a guided walk that takes you onto the glacier, but don't try it for yourself. These are highly mobile masses of ice, and the guides know the points that are most stable.

The forests are called bush here in New Zealand, and you must experience them because they are a totally different experience to the northern hemisphere forests. The smells are different; sweeter and almost appetizing. These forests have changed little since the dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Huge trees that you won't recognize overshadow the largest ferns in the world, many looking like palm trees. With the massive and heavily forested valley walls around you, it is easy to forget you are near the coast, but you should take a trip to Gillespie's beach. It is worth the short detour just to see the alpine backdrop from a new perspective. You will be amazed how such beautiful beaches are almost deserted, and yet if you had time to pan the sand for gold, you may be able to finance your next day's excursions.

At its southern extreme, the road turns inland at Haast. In the space of a few miles as you drive through the Haast pass, the terrain turns mysteriously from green to red, browns and golds, as if a giant magician had waved a wand. Science is not so magical and tells us that the rain forest has given way to rain shadow. The pass takes you to the lakeland of Wanaka, perhaps the most beautiful lake region in New Zealand.

But that is another South Island story.

Nick and Vivienne run ultra-gifts.com, Offering unique New Zealand gifts to the world.

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