Christchurch and West Coast

We are just recovering from Lukas’ birthday party:-). During the time in CHCH we have met so many Czech people that it seems that New Zealand is the new Czech Republic:-). In CHCH there is Czech Society with biweekly meetings in Pegasus Arms Pub. On the day of the meeting you can also get a Czech meal. Just before Xmas we had great “svickova”.

Talking about Xmas, it was so weird to have a Xmas during the summer. So we have decided to combine Czech and New Zealand tradition. For lunch we had a BBQ with our landlords and for dinner a few friends came over for proper Xmas dinner with potato salad and schnitzel. We even had traditional Xmas sweets, which we can only thanked for my mum and my grandma.

Because most of New Zealanders do not work during the Xmas period, we both had almost two weeks off. So we have decided to explore West Coast and the glaciers. Because boxing day is considered here as a “SALE” day, we had to wait so we could buy some necessary camping stuff for really low prices. With the huge crowds we did not manage to leave CHCH before 2pm. However, once we were on the way it was great. I knew again why we are in NZ...just driving through the countryside and then hillside of Arthurs Pass was fabulous. Part of the journey goes alongside the 6th best railway in the world (TranzAlpine) that goes from CHCH to Greymouth. We were thinking of travelling with it once, but with prices of $200pp one way it will be probably out of our reach.

Our first main stop was Hokitika. While we were waiting for the darkness so we could see glowing worms in the local dell, we have found former Seaside Hospital. It is closed for a number of years now and is partially occupied by almost empty campsite, however most of the buildings are empty with some of the original equipment still inside. It is like walking in the horror movie.

Hokitika is one of many mining towns in the region. But it is also famous for its Jade (“greenstone” in English and “pounamu” in Maori) that can be found in the nearby river. Local Jade factory offers free guided tours where we could see the traditional craftsmen and hear the stories behind Jade produce. Unfortunately jade is still quite expensive so we could treat ourselves only to a simple ring.

The next stop was nearby village called Ross. Ross is traditional gold mining town with buildings like in the Wild West movies. Water Race Walk takes you to the local hills where gold was once mined and show you the old cemetery, traditional buildings and equipment.

While searching for freedom campsite we have came across Guy Menzies landing site. He was the first person to fly solo across the Tasman Sea in 1931. From there we have reached Hari Hari coast. We were tired but there was one highly rated walk so we have decided to go. We had to make sure that there is a low tide as part of the track is on the beach. And the beach was gorgeous. There was no one there, quiet, exactly why NZ is so beautiful. Even with low tide we still had to take our shoes off while crossing one river, but it was worth it.

The following day we have reached our main destination, Fox Glacier. We were looking forwards being able to see the glacier terminal from 80m as advertise in the Lonely Planet but recent accident and weather conditions caused the viewpoint to be moved to 200m. But it is still closest terminal to the sea in the world. The glacier is magnificent, especially if you have not seen one before. Unfortunately, Fox Glacier and nearby Franz Josef Glacier and the hotspots of NZ and in the summer time they are packed with tourists and you can always hear helicopters above your head travelling to the top of glaciers.

For the night we headed to Gillespies Beach. Former mining town, nowadays only campsite with cemetery and mining tunnels nearby. Not like in Fox, the weather here was great and the sea was not as cold as in the east so we had our first NZ sea fighting experience. You could not call it swimming as the waves were quite strong and high. Lukas even got his head bumped once while being thrown on the ground by one of the waves!

Our last day before returning back to CHCH we have spent with Glaciers. We went to say goodbye to Fox glacier from the Chalet Lookout, which was used as a crossing point to the glacier in 30s. Nowadays the glacier is much further so you could only see it from the distance. Later on we could compare the glaciers when walking towards Franz Josef Glacier (FJG). What impressed me was FJG colour. Fox was white, but FJG was blue! Also the river coming from underneath the glacier was wilder and you could see pieces of ice floating on it. In addition, you could see the terminal from only 80 meters. I think everybody should see both and decide for themselves which one is more magnificent.

Back in CHCH everything was getting ready for New Years Eve. Because the city centre is now closed the celebrations moved to Hagley Park. All public spaces are smoke and alcohol free in NZ so we had a dilemma. In the end a bit of Czech expertise from music festivals helped and we could celebrate properly with champagne and a bit of alcohol :-). And being the first in the world to count down, we could also celebrate Czech and English New Years Eve in the morning...