We got underway around 10:30 a.m. The idea was to drive to Arthur's Pass, about a 2 hour drive, do some hiking, and then head back to Christchurch. A wonderful thing about driving west is that the car's windshield frames the snow-capped Alps the whole time. It didn't seem to be too long before we were in the foothills. Sammy and Tatum hung out in the back seat, their quiet cooperation encouraged from time to time with bits of carrots.
About an hour out we passed amazing rock formations jutting from the mountains at Castle Hill. I just looked it up on the web to understand what it is that I saw. Apparently they are "water eroded remnants of limestone formed during the Oligocene age 30-40 million years ago when much of present day New Zealand was covered by the sea." (http://www.castlehill.net.nz/castlehill/castlehill.php). It looked like a spot I'd like to discover without the kids, so we continued on our route.
As we continued westward, I was on the lookout for dog-friendly paths. Many of the ones I saw were wildlife reserves so dogs were not allowed (understandably) but there was a good candidate near Broken River, which we would come back to. First, however, the driver needed lunch. Unfortunately, the road to the west coast is not very populated. It winds up and around mountains, and over lakes and basins. There are few buildings, let alone gas stations or cafes. There are several opportunities to turn off the road and head towards ski areas but "we" decided to stay on the main road until something presented itself.
And it did. The historic Bealey Hotel/Backpackers/Bistro/Cafe/Family Bar. *Family* bar????? hmmm... That aside, I have to say that the historic venue was a bit underwhelming. Neighbour Jeff described it as a "has-been" and I'd have to agree that it's probably seen better days. Nonetheless, the cook made me a good sandwich which I enjoyed while admiring the scenery.
From there we headed back to Broken River. The sign on the gate said that entry was prohibited in November and December because of sheep and cattle grazing. But it's August so the kids squeezed between the chain-link fence gates, and I climbed over. From there, the kids were off leash and we were all free to explore!! The landscape here and throughout the mountains/valleys is a really interesting mixture of alpine and desert: there are evergreens but also lots of tall grasses and other vegetation that I could imagine seeing in a desert. Broken River proved fascinating. (By the way, they must have fixed it; the river looked fine.)
Back in Christchurch, I have two pups sprawled out exhausted on the couch while I watch the All Blacks vs. the Wallabies.
Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and warm. It looks like working on that paper may just have to wait until Monday. :)
Cheers,
Beth
No comments:
Post a Comment