Feb 21 Richmond to Hanmer Springs
A bad start to the morning. A quick look outside the motel revealed heavy cloud over the mountains although this had burnt off in about an hour.
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Of much greater import was the discovery was that whilst I had packed lots of things that might come in useful – herb salt, garlic, brown sauce etc etc – I discovered that I had left the coffee behind. I had to make do with the instant supplied by the motel for my breakfast drink. The supermarket will have to supply some of the real stuff for the rest of the trip.
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My morning shopping was in the Richmond Mall, which is very unprepossessing from the outside but very stylish inside. I found a marinated pork chop at the boutique butcher and some coffee at the supermarket.I did try to buy some sandals at a shoe shop but, needless to say, they didn’t have my size. |
After re-stocking with petrol I left town and turned onto the Appleby Highway,
often rated one of the nation’s most dangerous roads. It is flat and straight
– and one lane was closed so that the police could remove two seriously
wrecked cars from the ditch. Abandoning the main road, I took the Moutere
Highway, over the Moutere Saddle and along the ridge to Upper Moutere village.
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The Lutheran church is magnificent and the village shop provided a reasonable coffee served by a very pretty Welsh waitress. The old post office is now a shop selling jam a preserves, often the way in the smaller villages. Left: Upper Moutere store |
I arrived at Neudorf Vineyard via the tree lined drive to find preparations in full swing for an open-air concert in the evening. There was a large truck parked in the car park and lots of loud speaker cabinets being unloaded. There were also lighting towers in the fields and general signs of rushed activity.
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I managed to find the tasting room operating and the wine was as good as ever. I emerged with half a dozen bottles of the cheaper Riesling purchased from a fellow POM. I didn’t get round to asking what he was doing there but he was friendly and helpful.
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The road back runs through orchards as well as vineyards and there were occasional views of the sea to the North.
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Once back on the main road, I climbed the Spooner Range & stopped for photos etc, then climbed the Hope Saddle, which was more complicated. The original viewing point appeared to have been slightly overgrown by the surrounding trees so that there is now a new one, down a narrow path. This has a proper mapping point and some slightly better views. The road then tumbles down the Hope Valley, through Glenhope, which marks the end of the railway, and into the Buller Valley.
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Murchison is at the bottom of the valley, surrounded by hills and subject to occasional devastating earthquakes. The disused petrol station sells good food so I stopped for lunch & photographed a few of the older buildings.
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I then drove down to the river, something that I had meant to do for years.
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I found an elderly couple in the water being watched by an equally elderly dog and a younger woman watching her dog which was in the water. It was having a wonderful time chasing a stick, tugging on the stick when it was being held and then following it into the river again. The older dog was then persuaded into the water after which it rolled extensively in the mud to dry off. |
The café attached to the motor camp on the river bank had a wonderful location but the coffee was only average.
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After Murchison, my road left the main valley and tuned South up the Maruia River Valley, also known as the Shenandoah. This is pretty rather than grand, as it climbs gently through fertile fields and some trees.Left: The Shenandoah Valley |
The Maruia Falls are spectacular so I stopped to take loads of photos. With such an obviously photogenic scene, it is difficult to find an unusual angle so I just clicked away & hoped for the best.
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At the top of the valley is the road to the Lewis Pass, which crosses the Alps at about 700 metres.
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There are some fine views of the river but the heavy traffic, particularly the handful of heavy goods vehicles, persuaded me to keep on the move and not to make too many photo stops. The weather darkened for a while but then the sunshine returned and I arrived at Hanmer Springs just about on schedule. |
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The village is definitely alpine, with mountains at the rear and lots of trees. It is one of the most European style places in the country and the chalets on the hills could be in Switzerland. There has been a lot of building in the 2 years since I was last here with one concrete slab structure looking particularly hideous. I did a survey of the town, failed to find an open internet café so returned to the motel and cooked a decent dinner before writing up some notes, downloading some photos etc etc.
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