Arthur’s Pass

I got to Arthur’s pass after way too much time on the bus. I had to take a bus out of Franz Josef glacier and get an Atomic Shuttle from Greymouth to the Pass. Greymouth is a grey city at the mouth of the Grey river. It was nice and sunny. I entered a bookstore hoping to find a guide book. Instead I found the Croc saver from the Copland valley track. They said the weather is going to be awful. with normal yeara confidence I got on my bus and went to Arthur’s pass. i rained when i got there and it continued raining when i hung my laundry under the balcony. it also rained when i realized that there are gaps between the balcony boards and my laundry is getting wet. arthur’s pass did not have any people living in it – it has a population of 50 people and maybe 500 keas [space... err... mountain parrots. nasty little things. they eat the wipers off your car and rip your tent apart to pieces. not my tent, though – i don’t have one]. that was one of cosiest hostel i stayed at, other than the expensive internet rate [and sucky computer] and the lack of TV [you really need one of these sometimes, to turn off your brain, especially when it’s raining and you’re in a 50 people village]

the next day i woke up. the sun was shining [through a thick layer of clouds], it did not rain and there was no need. i walked up the path to Avalanche peak. you walk a kilometre up over 2 kilometres. you climb. it was not a great walk. after getting out of the bush line and walking over a few ridges it was clear i should not bothered – although i could see all the way to the sea down the valley, the important bits [the glaciers around Avalanche peak] were covered with fog and clouds. the peak itself was covered too. at this point, the german guy i met on the way up and i made a tactical decision to turn around rather than stick and wait for one of those 60kph wind bursts to get us.

i don’t remember what i did the rest of my time in arthur’s pass. not much would sum it up pretty well. i met an Israeli guy who was travelling around the south island on bikes. i met a couple of guys which i first met in Milford sound, then in queenstown and later in franz josef. i got a couple of german girls a ride to greymouth with the german guy. i slept a lot, and ate leftovers from the hikes – they do not have a supermarket in a 50 people town.