Taking a pass at Arthur?
I’d never do that. After spending three wonderful days around Staveley and not finding any traces of Walter White in Methven, we drove up to Arthur’s Pass. Finding accommodation was a bit tricky, because there’s not much to begin with and it was all booked. „Luckily“ one motel has reserved two rooms for email / phone bookings only, they’re not in any of the online portals. So we booked a room and took our time getting there, enjoying the beautiful views of Waimakariri along the way. It is an extremely scenic drive once you learn to ignore the desolate wasteland that the Canterbury plains represent. That’s what Big Ag does for you. Unfortunately no nice cafes on the way, because everything is closed. đ But we did stop at Kura Tawhite, beautiful rock formations sort of halfway up and wandered among the limestones for a while. Arthur’s Pass itself has always been rather remote and isolated, but the pandemic certainly didn’t help. The Wobbly Kea was closed most of the time (staff and resource shortages) and that’s about it. The only other eating option is the Bealey Hotel and it was impossible to get a table for two there, no matter what time/day. Luckily, we’d brought some groceries and had some hiking meals left as well.
Arthur’s Pass is always very fickle in terms of weather and no exception this time. A good mixture of sunshine, clouds, rain, and wind – rinse and repeat. đ On the other hand, plenty of rain makes the waterfalls look even more impressive – we enjoyed the Devil’s Punchbowl after some heavy falls, the Temple Basin, and the Bealey Spur walks – the latter offers some absolutely stunning views and is always a safe bet when it’s raining on the Western side (like always).
We’d booked for three nights originally, but decided to drive to Reefton after finishing the Bealey Spur hike in the early afternoon, because, well, how can I say it without hurting any feelings? Let’s just say, we didn’t fancy spending another night in our motel room and I’d rather pay double for one night and enjoy my holiday a bit more. Nuff said. The drive from Arthur’s Pass to Reefton is very scenic as well, especially if you take a right and leave SH73 behind to circumvent KĹtuku-Whakaoho (Lake Brunner) on the North side. Gigantic lake. It’s named after Yul Brunner, because the locals really are into all his movies.
https://link.locusmap.app/r/86b3ir
https://link.locusmap.app/r/w8khpz
