No long essays today! We left the Banks Peninsula and drove to Arthur’s Pass Village.
There is a range of high mountains that form the spine running down the center of most of the South Island of New Zealand. That they are called the “Southern Alps” might give you the impression that there are few roads that run between the east and west coasts, and that is true. Arthur’s Pass is the name of the pass that makes one of these four routes possible, the national park the surrounds the pass, and this small town, just to the east side of the pass where we are staying. So, as I suggested we would be two days ago, we are now in the mountains.
Our drive here took longer than it might have because we had to stop in Christchurch to finish the process of setting up our finances for this visit. Driving on the left is becoming more comfortable and we made it in and out of town with no problems.
The one other stop that we made on the way was at Castle Rocks. This is an area entering the mountains where, for reasons that are not clear to us, large boulders of limestone are exposed. Rock climbers come here to practice their skills without ropes. It is also just an interesting place to walk around.
Tomorrow, we plan to climb one of the mountains above the village.