Ferns and Turns

Over the next days of the trip, the road trip took on epic dimensions. We left behind the harbor views and vineyards of the northern region and headed south on Highway 6 through the mountains. The small town of Murchison was an obvious choice for a fuel stop, as it sported the only gas station for an hour in either direction.

Along the way, we intersected the Buller River and followed it for a stunning 125 km. But before the river reached the ocean in Westport, the road diverged and started following a different geographic guiderail: the wild Tasman Sea. We hopped out of the car at various points along the Buller River and the Tasman Sea to soak in the views.

​The main destination on this stretch of the West Coast was an unusual rock formation called the Pancake Rocks. The tourism infrastructure leaned into the silly name, with a sign titled “pancake toppings” explaining the vegetation growing on the rocks, and a café that served actual pancakes. The rock towers had distinct layers, creating their signature pancake appearance, and erosion had battered them into different shapes, forming a city skyline of sorts. The pathway circled around a large sinkhole that exposed the waves below. Nearby, crashing waves sent plumes of sea spray upwards through blowholes. Sea birds nested in the turrets, adding motion to the sky. Whiplike seaweed called Mermaid’s Hair draped over the base of the cliffs, swirling in the churning water. It was easy to imagine that someday these towers will be reclaimed by the ocean.

​The final hour of the drive was sunny and peaceful – a great chance for me to take the wheel and build up some driving confidence in the Outlander. It was only my second time driving in NZ, and my first time on the South Island. Soon we arrived in Hokitika, a one night stay to break up the long drive. Our AirBNB was on the second story and had wonderful views of the surrounding mountains from a breakfast nook with tons of natural light.

​The Hokitika AirBnB also had a full kitchen, which meant we could have our belated Thanksgiving feast! I made tempeh chili and vegan cornbread, a riff on a comforting staple, while Rachel made her favorite sweet potato casserole with a walnut topping in lieu of the usual marshmallows. It was a true feast. Our New Zealand Thanksgiving was complete with a sauvignon blanc that we picked up in Marlborough.

​Our breakfast, inspired by the Pancake Rocks, was… you guessed it! Pancakes. Rachel whipped up the batter, and I manned the griddle. It was the perfect fuel for our pancake-loving driver. In addition to maple syrup and blueberries, a few were topped with New Zealand manuka honey.

​On our way out of Hokitika, we made a detour to visit the Hokitika Gorge. It was a popular 45-minute trail, especially on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, but not overcrowded. The water was a shocking bright neon blue, framed by short cliffs and a fern forest. I saw a lot of amazing blue water in Croatia and Greece, and this was by far the most electric. Along the way, we crossed a suspension bridge that was sturdy but see-sawed side to side as we crossed. At the end of the trail, a few large rocks offered great views (and photo ops). It was definitely worth the visit!

​We also stopped in town to look at a few jade and art galleries. The west coast rivers are where pounamu (jade) is found. It was fun to browse the stores and peek into the carving studios. I bought a pack of two uncarved stones, to satisfy my inner rock collector. And who knows, maybe I’ll carve it later? The infinite possibilities of this raw material seemed fitting for my open-ended months ahead.

​The drive from Hokitika to Franz Josef was filled with more ferns and turns. The ferns were every shade between green and red that you can imagine. And the turns were every radius of curvature that you can imagine. We passed over wide gravel riverbeds with gray water, gold mining villages well past their heyday, and towns with funny names like Whataroa.

In the town of Franz Josef, we stayed at a 2-bedroom cabin owned by a rainforest-themed lodge down the street. It was modern and clean, but like all places it had its quirks. The fridge was in a corner, but the door opened the wrong way, blocking access to its contents. The garbage can had three sections, only differentiated by their mysterious colors – yellow, green, and brown – that we never decoded. The bathroom door creaked loudly, and at one point an enormous bumblebee was discovered in the shower. On the bright side, the parking was easy and the bed was extremely comfortable, helping my back for a few mornings.
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There was a laundry room onsite, but it required coins. Egad! I had made it this far in the trip without having any cash. Thankfully, Vincent and Rachel had some loose bills, and I exchanged them at the front desk. The laundry progressed, and each time I stepped out of the laundry room, I marveled at the mysterious cloud-capped mountains, an unexpected jungle with ambient birdcalls. We settled in for a quiet evening, with Thanksgiving leftovers being the highlight.

​The next morning, we drove to the trailhead for the Franz Josef glacier, unsure if the clouds would provide any line of sight. We were surprised to find that the main 2-hour trail had been reclaimed by the river and was closed. The shorter 10-minute trail ended abruptly with a cutout of a ranger with his hand up. Behind "him" was a poster with real-world headlines about tourists getting themselves into danger when they disobeyed, and a few alternative hiking options. We waited patiently for about 15 or 20 minutes while the clouds thought about revealing the glacier. We caught glimpses, including a waterfall not too far from the tongue. But overall, Franz Josef didn’t come out to play. The limited views suggested it had receded quite far up, so the disappointment was double.

​We started driving towards Lake Matheson for a different hike, but it started raining so we turned the car around. Instead, we took advantage of the lodge’s hot tub and went out for a nice lunch at an Asian fusion restaurant called Snake Bite. I ate a wonderful plate of goreng fried rice with chicken kebabs and tried one of their signature drinks – a mix of berry cider and lager, named after the taipan (a deadly snake). Thanks to this python meal, I didn’t even need dinner!

​On the way out of town, we stopped at the post office to mail a thank-you letter to the Nelson AirBNB hosts, who helped ship us a jacket that we left behind. The “post office” turned out to be a desk within a gas station. When we walked in, the clerks were hanging Christmas decorations and telling a man with a less common propane tank to try filling it in Wanaka, a mere 284 km away.

The rain continued on our drive from Franz Josef towards Wanaka. So did the ferns and turns. Favorite tunes from Disney to Latin Pop brightened the journey. We stopped for gas in Haast, one of those “fuel now or forever hold your peace” kind of towns. Then the road turned inland… but that’s where this chapter ends.