Day 9

Day 9 was our last full day of sightseeing. We headed northwest towards Arthur’s Pass. Along the way, we visited Hokitika Gorge. Techincally, it was a detour, but driving the extra distance was worth it. Just look at that blue!

It was a bit like Blue Pools, but the water here was opaque.

Next was that famous stretch of road passing through a valley – Otira Viaduct. The temperature had lowered considerably when we reached this area. In fact, we even experienced some falling snow that afternoon in Arthur’s Pass. There were a few keas just sitting around the car park.

Arthur’s Pass Village was a short drive away, and we checked into the only non-airbnb accommodation of our trip – Arthur’s Pass Motel and Lodge, before heading out immediately to check out the waterfall nearby, Devil’s Punchbowl. The car park for the waterfall was literally less than a minute’s drive from the motel. The waterfall itself however was about a 30-minute walk. Up quite a number of stairs. Especially for me, whose feet were still pretty beat up from Roy’s Peak. The waterfall was beautiful, of course.

Day 10

We checked out of our motel and headed back to Christchurch. Before that, we stopped at Castle Hill, known as Kura Tawhiti in Maori. The area was filled with many limestone rock formations. One thing that stood out during our visit there was the temperature! It was apparently -4°C, and while we were feeling cold, especially with our down jackets packed away in our suitcases, the clear blue sky made it seem warmer. But while walking towards the rock formations, we passed by a couple of ponds, and true enough, they were frozen.

For our last sightseeing stop before our flight home, Castle Hill surpassed our expectations. And the drive back to Christchurch was one of the most beautiful drives were had in NZ, which is saying something because the whole road trip was extremely scenic!

At Christchurch, we fueled up at Burgerfuel, did some last miunte shopping, and even relived our childhood days at the Margaret Mahy Playground! Definitely a pleasant end to our amazing trip around the South Island. Te Waipounamu, you took our breath away.