Saturday, December 14, 2013
I am apparently related to a very famous European explorer. Arthur Dobson discovered a key pass connecting the East and West Coasts in 1864 when people needed to get through the Southern Alps from Christchurch during the gold rush. If I can prove the family tree connection, I am sure to be a shoe-in to get me a Kiwi passport.
The drive was incredible as I suspected. Once we reached Arthur’s Pass, the road winded through open valleys snuggled between large mountains, many with hidden waterfalls. At one of the many overlooks we visited, we quickly got acquainted with the cheeky kea bird, or Alpine parrot. We left the windows in Blitzen rolled down and while we were busy snapping pictures, one allegedly jumped in our car. He would have been a fun hitchhiker for the ride if he hadn’t of flown out to perch on the side view mirror and peck away at the window lining. “Hey Emily, aren’t you glad we have insurance?”
We enjoyed many hikes in the area to include the Dobson nature walk, the Bealey chasm walk, and hikes to the Devil’s Punchbowl Waterfall and Bridal Veil Waterfall. After the pass, we continued to enjoy the scenic route to Christchurch. We also visited the Craigieburn Forest Park where scenes from “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” were filmed and found the Cave Stream Scenic Reserve which was amazing and where my picture of the day was taken.
Steph Dobson 