Arthur's Pass, South Island, New Zealand

September, 2015

Arthur's Pass cuts through the Southern Alps, New Zealand's largest mountain range that runs from the Nelson Lakes National Park in the north-east of the southern island to Milford Sound in the south-west. We were headed easterly from the sublime coastline of the west. The drive creeps along as the mountains in the distance grow larger and you feel mounting momentum build like you're picking up steam before making your push upwards. The severity of the slope comes most immediately on the west side before you pass over the summit and make your way down and down a somewhat more gradual grade in the general direction of Christchurch. But as you head up the mountains, snow begins to expose itself more frequently, you twist in and out of bends, and pass under a small waterfall that has been forced to cascade over the road.

For us, a turnout that loops back, offering a view of the road just traveled also offered an emergency stop. Our beloved car, Craig, doesn't like the steep uphills as we found ourselves once again in a bit of car trouble in (as usual) the most remote of places. Ignoring the obvious signs of necessary vehicle maintenance, we let Craig rest easy and cool down while we took in the view and the odd behavior of all too friendly Kea birds—a rare alpine parrot found only in the southern island of New Zealand. 

What had been rain for us over the past few days had been snow at this altitude, but given the oncoming warmth, it had already started to melt. This left the mountains shaded not just in light and dark, but sharp differences of white and green. The mountain tops, however, remained completely white. And with a combination of winter white and alpine green, the sun shown brightly while the wind kept things cool. 

We kept on now that the symptoms of inevitable car repairs had subsided, but decided on fewer explorations in lieu of a more direct path to our evening destination. Still seeking some bit of fun though, we decided to stretch our legs in the form of climbing many stairs up Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall. I'm always a sucker for a hike involving waterfalls even if the prospect of swimming at the top or base is ruled out—in this case by the very cold weather and slightly ominous sounding name. Just off the road as you enter Arthur's Pass Village lies a gravel road to a small car park and a trailhead leading in a few different directions. Picking our desired route, we slowly made our way in and out of shade and shadow, up and up stair cases, while treading softly across not yet melted ice. In the name of safety we took our time which may or may not have been done more so to mask our exhaustion. Nevertheless, one couldn't help marveling at the warm glow in and on the surrounding forest and the always present sound of moving water. 

The hike ended only after a short while and at points it even went downhill briefly before it went back up. The intensity of the walk payed off as it didn't last too long and remained beautiful all the while. It ended in a viewing platform just at the base of the falls and gave you time to catch your breath and then tire your neck from looking up. Surely, routes could be forged to go further and (weather being warmer) perhaps even go for a swim. But given the treachery of ice even on the established path we thought it best to stay put and marvel from a slight distance. 

The walk itself was almost as wonderful as the final payoff. Snow melted from the trees above like lazy rainfall as you walked. To one side the sun crept in and to the other shadow remained. You felt like we were walking through something far more magical than natural and, upon our return, felt a good tired sense of accomplishment.