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27 January to 3 February 2003
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Although, with its broad plain, Haast seems to have good prospects it is in fact no well off. The land is poor and until the 1960s the only way out was by sea. Various government initiatives to populate the area failed. However, the small township comprising mostly of hostels, motels and cafes appeared to be in good repair and thriving. Perhaps Haast's main benefit is that it is halfway along the road to somewhere else.
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For our afternoons entertainment we walked against a strong south westerly breeze the 3km towards Haast Junction to visit the World Heritage Centre. It was well worth the effort with displays on the area and the development of the pass from when it was a Maori track carrying greenstone to the construction of the highway.
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Returned to Haast Township for a spot of shopping, dinner, and an early night with our diaries.
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Haast
The route over Tioripatea (Haast Pass) between the West Coast and Otago was well known to the early Maori travellers. Haast Pass was the name bestowed on Tioripatea by geologist Sir Julius von Haast after he crossed it in 1863. Today the area south of the Haast River, including the settlements of Haast township, Haast Beach, Okuru and Hannah's Clearing is generally known as the Haast region.
Road-makers
The transition from track to road in the Haast region was a gradual one. In 1937 the Public Works Department established a camp for road-makers at Jackson Bay and the Jackson Bay settlement was reborn. Haast township too was revitalised by the presence of the road-makers.
The road from Jackson Bay to the Haast River was complete by 1945 and the road over the Haast Pass finally opened in 1960. The last stage of this great road-making project, the bridge over the Haast River was completed in 1965.
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During the night we could hear squalls of rain outside and when we got up the weather was no better, grey clouds hung all around.
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Our bus was due out at 1.00; so how do you fill a wet morning in Haast. First, check out time was 10.00 so we left it till the last minute. Although they wanted us out of the building by 10.00 we were allowed to leave our bags.
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Next we walked down to the cafe and killed 30 minutes over a drink. With a few patches of blue sky about and the rain stopped we took a walk first a short way down the road and then back up the road looking for a way to get down to the river. After a little way we found a track off to the left and decided to explore it. With a slight drizzle falling we armed ourselves with our umbrellas and continued on exploring other turn offs until we found one that took us to the river.
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The opportunities weren't great with just a short shingle bank to walk on. Once we had exhausted the possibilities the drizzle had stopped and along with a few sand flies we sat on a log to pass the time reading until it started to rain again.
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Returned to the main track and continued exploring until we reached the end at a quarry. Turned around and walked back to Haast reach the hostel at 11.40, just as a heavy downpour occurred. After waiting for it to stop we retrieved our bags and moved them down to a sheltered area in front of the toilets near to the bus stop. Another drink in the cafe and a bit more standing around completed our wet morning in Haast.
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Five minutes after boarding the bus we pulled into the World Heritage Centre for a 15 minute break before getting going properly. Crossed over the Haast Bridge, the longest single track bridge in New Zealand, with a couple of passing places on the way over
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The bus driver was again informative and provided us with interesting facts to fill the time - such as the development of deer farming.
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Deer were released into the forests at the end of the 19th century to provide animals for hunting and over the years they prospered until they became a menace. In the 1950s a Westcoaster by the name of Tim Wallace acquired a helicopter and found that it provided a good vehicle for hunting. At its peak he was running 20 helicopters from which a good hunter could achieve up to 100 kills a day. The venison found a good market in Europe, particularly Germany, but such was the efficiency of the hunting that very soon the wild deer were more or less under control and those that were left had learnt to be wary of helicopters. However, with a market for venison having been developed, in order to satisfy it, Tim Wallace turned to domesticating the deer instead. The farms were stocked by netting wild deer and flying them back to be used as stock animals. Today there are 2.5 million domesticated deer reared for meat. Also, the horns of the stags are harvested every spring for their velvet covering which is sold as an aphrodisiac in eastern markets.
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Called in at Knights Point to have a look across at the rugged coast line and at monument to the builders of the west coast road. Most of the road that we were travelling on was through bush and podocarp rain forest. There was some, but very little, farming around river estuaries but otherwise the area was very isolated.
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Knights Point
Rocky headlands, storm-swept beaches, fearsome rivers and impenetrable coastal forest caused early travellers to bypass this area or take to the sea.
South Westland Maori built and used canoes to fish, travel and trade. Northern Maitahi (Bruce Bay) was a canoe building centre. Further south, Okahu (Jackson Bay), was a fishing and pounamu (jade) working settlement.
Shipping was the lifeline of the pioneer European settlers of Haast and Jackson Bay. Supplies were rowed ashore to sandy beaches and cattle forced to swim.
While cattle came to the district by sea, they went out to northern saleyards via an inland route - known to early travellers as Maori Saddle. This old 'highway' is now a tramping track between Paringa and the Waita River, known as the historic Paringa - Haast Cattle Track.
It wasn't until the 1930s that isolated South Westlanders experienced more regular contact with the outside world. Using beaches and paddocks as airstrips. Captain Bert Mercer's Mt Travel (NZ) Ltd provided mail, goods and passenger services.
A road was finally opened over Haast Pass in 1960, linking Otago with Jackson Bay, but the Haast to Paringa stretch linking Otago with Westland was not completed until 1965. Work gangs started at both ends. The last 10km, near here, took more than two years to build. Steep country and unstable soil, high rainfall and flood-prone creeks made the work difficult.
Today through the World Heritage Area is an important tourist route, allowing you to experience some of the wild and special character of this region.
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The edge of this craggy coastline where forest clings to rock faces, fills gullies and overhangs the surf of sandy beaches, is home to kekeno (New Zealand fur seal), tawaki (Fiordland crested penguin) and many forest and ocean birds. Isolation provides an important refuge for plants and animals, and enables them to survive.
Although exposed to salt winds and on poor soils, nature still provides a beautifully rich cover. Brilliant white of flowering clematis in spring and red of flowering rata in early summer contrast with many green hues and textures of forest and coastal plants. The warm north facing cliffs favour early flowering. Some plants have adapted well to salt spray and rocky sites, such as the lovely mauve-flowered coastal hebe, white flowering tree daisy, scurvy grass and native celery.
Parts of these coastal hills escaped being overtopped by glaciers during the ice ages and so were refuges for plants. This might explain why several subalpine plants are found here today, including inaka and wharariki (mountain flax).
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Another 20 minutes and another stop, this time for 25 minutes at a salmon farm. Past on up through Bruce Bay and away from the coast with the sun emerging. And finally on to Fox Glacier and our hostel at Franz Josef.
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Started the morning with a bit of organising. Arranging our accommodation and transport for the next week, and renewing our YHA cards.
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Decided to make up a decent length day walk by piecing together parts of walks in the Franz Josef area. With the sun shining but the air cool and still we sent off first on the Tatare Tunnels Walk. The signage wasn't too good as it wasn't until you reached the gate about 50m back off the road that you could read the sign board.
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Followed a broad gravel road on a gradual ascent, rain forest was on both sides of us. After 15 minutes we came to a right hand turn and continued on up on the Callery-Waiho Walk, in places beside the track was a large rusted pipe. Again the track was good until we reached what was probably the water works and from then on along a path that first of all followed a water channel.
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The forest closed in around us with moss hanging from the branches. From then on the path condition swung from good, with a firm broad surface, to indifferent with rocks and bog, to atrocious with crossing of fast flowing streams, scrambles up rocky and sandy banks, and snaking descents down moss covered boulders.
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The Callery River, which we crossed on a bridge, was grey with the volume of glacial flour that it was carrying. Scramble on the left hand bank down stream until we hit a better path and started to head south up the Waiho River, the path still swinging between good, bad and ugly.
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Crossed the Waiho River on the Douglas suspension bridge and with the vegetation thinning out walked around to Peters Pool, a reflective kettle lake with Franz Joseph glaciers in the background. Probably a nice spot on a calm sunny day but on this occasion a breeze was stirring the surface and low clouds on hill sides. The tongue of the glacier was only just visible in the distance.
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Reached the road and followed it up to the car park at the end. From here we took a tourist path for a short walk up to the top of Sentinel Rock to view the glacier, read the information boards and ate our lunch.
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About 1867 the ice was close to the base of Sentinel Rock. Several hundred years before this, ice would have ground its way over the top of the rock.
From 1939-49 a lake remained in front of the glacier, much to the enjoyment of many tourists who rowed amongst icebergs to gain access. The lake gradually filled with debris.
Visitors in the 1970s could hardly see the terminal face of the glacier from Sentinel Rock.
Since 1983 the glacier has been generally advancing.
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Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere The tears of Hine Hukatere
Hine Hukatere (meaning 'the avalanche girl') was an adventurous Maori woman who loved mountaineering above all other activities. Her lover, Tawe, was not as fond of climbing as his sweetheart but Hine's power of persuasion were strong and Tawe often climbed with her in the mountains. On one such adventure Tawe slipped at the head of the valley and plunged to his death. Hine's tears were so many that they flooded the valley and were frozen by the Gods as a memorial to her grief.
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Returned to Franz Josef by following the access road which although unsealed was so well used and compacted that its surface in most places was quite smooth. We had though of taking a walk up to Lake Wombat but with a drizzle starting to come on we hoisted our umbrellas and headed for town.
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Called in at the DOC centre to spend more time looking at their exhibits and also spent 20 minutes watching the film about local natural history.
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Booked in with The Guiding Company for an all day hike on the glacier. First off was a visit to the store to collect a pair of boots with special grips on them. Although they were a good fit there was no padding in the soles, which were also very stiff, by the end of the day we would be glad to get back into our own boots.
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A bus took us up to the car park at the end of the road from where we walked out to the glacier, first passing Sentinel Rock. Although the guides apologised for the tedium of the 2km walk out over the shingle to the face of the glacier it was really quite pleasant seeing the glacier slowly emerge. We were told that the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers were first known as the Victoria and Albert Glaciers but renamed by Jules Haast after the Austro-Hungarian Emperor.
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Just before the start of the glacier we changed into the hobnailed boots and set of up the gentle slope of the ice until we came to the first ice fall. From now on the walk became much more interesting as we climbed along and over crevasses. At the wider gaps a ladder with boards down the centre were placed over. On the steep inclines up crevasses a rope was anchored to the ice walls.
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On many areas of the ice there where quite large areas of shale and even boulders being carried along to be deposited at the foot of the glacier.
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Climbing through crevasse
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We were also taken through an ice tunnel about 20m long. At a couple of places there was only just enough room to squeeze through, fortunately we had put on our wet weather gear. At the edge of the glacier near Defiance Ridge a cave had formed under the ice but above the bedrock; we climbed down the rocky slope as far as we could. By the end of the day we had been under, over and through the glacier. Enjoyable as the walk was it was a relief when it finished and we could change back into our own boots, the walking and climbing action had also used some different muscles than we were used to and so by the end we were stiff and aching. Walked back to the car park for a ride back to town and a relieving shower in the hostel.
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Caught the 9.30 Intercity bus to Greymouth, passing along the coast with occasional small settlements now given over to farming but which had once been timber and gold mining areas. Some gold is still mined at Ross and panned for at other places.
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Glacial lakes lay along the side of the road during the first part of the journey. Further north the coastal plain widened with pastures between us and the sea to the left and bush to the right. A surprise sighting was a white heron flying along about 100m from the bus.
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Crossed the Hokitika River into the town where we stopped briefly before completing our journey to Greymouth.
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Once settled in to the hostel we had lunch and a spot of shopping before venturing on a local walk known as the King Park Walk. Although the leaflet said it was steep we felt that as it was only an hours round journey we would be OK in our sandals, but we were wrong. The way would seem to be seldom used with mud in many places and so after about 15 minutes we gave it up as a bad job and turned around, but not before seeing swarms of cicada and a view over Greymouth.
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A shop that appears in most large towns is 'The Warehouse', in the interest of learning more about New Zealand way of life we thought it was about time we visited one to discover what was inside. We discovered that it was a type of Walmart with a wide range of cheep goods. Gardening, Sports, Shoes, Manchester. What's Manchester? A look down the isle revealed what we would call Household Linen, so presumably these were goods that came from Manchester. We bought insoles for our boots.
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A grey day in Greymouth, during the night we could hear the rain falling and on waking a fine drizzle was falling. A day for coffee shops. Talking to the lady in the coffee shop we learnt that the best time to visit the area was in winter when it was much drier and only a couple of degrees colder. Wandered around town for a while and then returned to the hostel to read and have lunch.
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As we left the hostel to catch the coach for the short journey to Punakaiki the sky cleared and patches of blue started to appear
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As we moved north a haze from the sea settled over the mountains. Beyond Rapaho the coastal road wound itself around headlands. Large waves crashed onto the rugged shore and a rocks littered sea.
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Arrived at Punakaiki and phoned for a lift to the hostel which was 3km away, this soon arrived. Settled in and then went for a walk to the beach.
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The beach consisted of small gravels which together gave an overall grey appearance but on closer inspection were of many and varied colours. It proved very difficult to walk on. Behind the beach were sandstone cliffs which were being undercut by the sea to form caves and shelters. The sandstone was capped by limestone and on top of that was thick vegetation. Water ran off the vegetation and dripped down from the layer of limestone
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Punakaiki Beach
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The forecast was for a dull, showery day but when we awoke the sky was blue. Later it clouded over and so we thought they were right after all, but fortunately they were wrong and we ended up with a cool but sunny day.
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Took a stroll down to the beach again to take photos in the better light, and then up the Truman Track to the main road where we came across our first weka, though this one was short of a foot.
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For a mornings stroll we followed a path up the Pororari River, reasonably easy going except for a couple of interesting places, particularly a downward passage on stairs and a platform through fallen rocks. The path was mostly through the rain forest this time with a good scattering of nikau palms.
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After an hour we reached the junction with the Inland Pack Track and turned around to return to the road.
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Returned to the hostel for lunch and collect our bags to go down to the InterCity bus stop which was opposite Pancake Rocks.
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Took a walk to look at the Pancake Rocks, a collection of strangely eroded limestone rocks that are built up of thin strata giving the appearance of a stack of pancakes. How the rocks were formed is still a bit of a mystery.
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Pancake Rocks
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Natures Pancake Recipe
While the processes which form limestone are well understood, the reason why some limestones are layered still have geologists guessing.
Formerly it was believed that sea currents has shuffled material into alternate layers of hard limestone and soft mudstone during the deposition phase.
Now it is generally agreed that the layers are the result of a secondary process called 'stylobedding' - but some details remain a mystery.
After being buried and compacted, grains of shell and skeleton were put under such immense pressure that they passed into solution. For reasons still unclear, some minerals merged to form thin seams of mudstone between layers of limestone.
The forces of sea and weather during the past 100,000 years have eroded the mudstone more than the limestone, enhancing the 'pancake' effect.
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New Zealanders have a quite relaxed manner, with a sign in a local cafe illustrating the point
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WILD COAST CAFE
OPENING HOURS
Usually we open about 8am but sometimes as late as 9 or 10 or sometimes not at all.
Usually we close about 6pm or 7pm but sometimes as early as 3 or 4pm or as late as 11pm.
Some days we don't open or some afternoons, but lately I have been here most of the time except when I've been away.
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Caught the bus for our short journey up to Westport, again passing up the rugged coast past where the gold mining town of Brighton with 5-6,000 people once stood but now claimed by the sea. And another gold town called Charleston.
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Reached Westport whose main industries are coal and cement. A town described by Rough Guide as 'running Greymouth close for the dubious honour of being the west coasts most dispiriting town' but described by the local visitors guide as 'a rare gem, an area beautifully crafted by nature and richly endowed with opportunities. Perhaps neither was entirely accurate, however, it served its purpose for us, providing a comfortable hostel and the chance to stock up on food before moving on.
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Sometimes in a room we would have a small wash hand basin which was only 20cm from back to front which didn't enable it to be used for much at all. To clean teeth you had to put your forehead on the wall and then twist around a bit. Sometimes there would also the a soap dispenser directly in front which made the performance even more difficult.
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Walked down to Visitor Information to check out transport arrangements for when we come off the Heaphy. In the centre were an Australian couple who had just come off the Heaphy as well as having done walks in the Nelson Lakes, they were on there way south and so we were able to swap information with them regarding best huts and tramps.
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For the next leg of our journey, because times and destinations fitted in better, we transferred to Atomic Shuttle, leaving Westport at 9.40 we headed into the mountains following the Buller River up stream through narrow gorges and broad valleys all the way to its source at Nelson Lakes.
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