NZ 2023 Day 9: Franz Josef to Arthur's Pass
DAY 9: 2 DEC 2023
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| Hokitika Gorge |
We were driving to Arthur's Pass village today.
As usual, we had a few stops along the way to catch a break in between long drives.
We started the day with the Pakihi walk which ends with a scenic lookout.
The walk is 1 km long and is pretty steep.
Having conquered the slopes leading to Roy's Peak, this was incomparable.
We were surrounded by the forest and I was hoping to spot a kiwi.
Obviously I didn't spot one as kiwis are nocturnal animals.
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| Pakihi Walk Lookout |
After 15 minutes, we arrived at the lookout!
The scenery in the West Coast is indeed different and unique in its own ways.
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| Scenic lookout on the way to Hokitika |
After driving for two hours, we arrived in Hokitika.
Hokitika is one of the larger towns in the West Coast.
There were many restaurants, shops and accommodation.
We parked at New World supermarket for free and took a stroll to the beach.
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| Famous Hokitika beach sign |
We had to take photos with the famous beach sign.
Due to the rain, the weather was gloomy the entire day.
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| Street leading to the Hokitika town clock |
We decided to grab lunch before visiting the gorge.
We originally wanted to dine at Fat Pipi Pizza.
To our dismay, it was only open for dinner.
We dined at Stone Oven Bakery Cafe instead.
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| Hot Chocolate and Latte |
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| Eggs benedict with smoked salmon |
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| Pancakes |
We ordered eggs benedict with smoked salmon and pancakes to share.
Both tasted alright and were reasonably priced.
This place also has a bakery which sells savoury pies and is rather popular with the locals.
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| Drive towards Hokitika Gorge |
During lunch, we checked the weather forecast for Hokitika Gorge.
As heavier rain is forecasted two hours later, we decided to first visit the gorge and return to town to get groceries thereafter.
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| Suspension bridge |
The waters at Hokitika gorge were gorgeous!
Despite the dark gloomy sky, the waters lit up the surroundings.
There were many scenic viewpoints at the gorge.
The trail ended a distance away from the lower bridge which was closed for maintenance.
It took us about 40 minutes to reach the end of the trail and the views here were stunning.
We took many photos here while battling sandflies.
I got two insect bites thanks to my exposed ankles.
As the lower bridge was closed, we couldn't complete the loop walk.
Instead, we returned the same way we came from.
At the carpark, there is another short walking trail that allows you to view the lower bridge.
This is originally part of the loop walk.
It started raining harder when we returned to the car.
We drove back to town and got our dinner supplies from New World supermarket.
Although the prices at New World are slightly pricey than the other supermarkets, we loved their huge food selections, including the bakery.
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| Scenic views on the way to Arthur's Pass |
The road to Arthur's Pass was windy and steep at some points.
The rain continued to fall which created the misty and moody vibes.
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| Otira Viaduct Lookout |
To take a short break from the windy roads, we stopped at the Otira viaduct lookout.
After some time, we eventually arrived at the Devil's Punchbowl carpark.
As the rain was heavy when we parked, we were in a dilemma.
Hike or don't hike.
Since we drove all the way here and wore water resistant clothing, we went ahead to hike.
We were entirely vulnerable to the rain as we embarked on the track, but conditions improved significantly upon entering the sheltered, wooded portions of the track.
The hike to the viewpoint had close to 400 steps.
Yes I counted because it acted as a diversion from the fatigue setting in.
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| Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall |
We could hear the waterfall when we got closer to the viewpoint.
The last flight of stairs brought us to a beautiful view of the 131m waterfall.
We hung around for a short while before returning to the carpark.
We completed the hike under an hour!
We then drove to our accommodation for the night.
We stayed in a self-contained apartment at Arthur's Pass Alpine Motel and it costs S$125 per night.
The apartment had a queen bed in the hall and a bedroom with 2 single beds.
It is also fully equipped with a kitchenette!
As there were limited food options at Arthur's Pass, we cooked our dinner!
For our mains, we bought 3 ribeye steaks for 18 NZD.
We got a stalk of broccoli and a pack of carrots as our vegetables.
As for carbs, we got cup noodles haha.
The cup noodles were perfect for the rainy weather.
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| Dinner |
We took a while to get the induction stove running.
Once it was turned on, we started cooking!
Although Zhi Sheng was originally the chef, I took over as he drove the entire day!
We bought small cubes of butter for 0.29 NZD each and it certainly added flavour to our steaks.
I took the sachets of salt and pepper from our Wanaka apartment and used them to season our food.
The food turned out great and we were super full after our meal.
We watched the movie, 18 again, on TV that night.
The movie was great and I loved the kdrama version of this movie too!
The rain continued to get heavier and the wind gusts got stronger throughout the night.
But we slept through all of that haha.
And that marks the end of day 9!
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