South Island primer

With about one million people living on the south Island and over a quarter of those living in Christchurch, that leaves a lot of land for just a few people, and lot of sheep and even more Possums. I was wrong about the sheep population…that 70 million figure I gave before was for possums, not sheep. There are only 60 million sheep. The possums were brought here for the fur trade, some got loose as possums will do, and have ravaged the countryside, crops and pasture ever since the time when some smart dude brought them from Australia in1837 for the fur trade. They are native to Australia and are protected there. Not here…they’re fair game. They’ve tried to offer bounties for trapping them, but the little buggers keep multiplying faster that they can catch them…the prevalence of them is easily demonstrated by the number of bumps in a give kilometer indicating how many have been run over by cars whizzing down the road.. However, they are trapped and used in the fiber trade…blends of Possum and Merino sheep bring top dollar in the clothing market..they are soft and shiny and make a beautiful combination with wool. But they’re still a blight on the land and most Kiwis will say so without hesitation. The crossing of the Cook Strait was a breeze…very nice car ferry and a smooth 3 ½ hour trip and we were there. The last hour was highlighted by all the narrow coves and inlets which form the outer shell of the South Island…lots of little farm plots so isolated from the rest of civilization…the trip in reminded me of our trip down Norway on the Hurtigruten Ferry and all the similar inlets of rural the Norwegian coastline. A quick hour drive to Nelson along secluded harbors dotted with sail boats at anchor made the journey delightful and full of photo ops…although once having just passed a very slow sheep truck, I was hesitant to stop as often as I would have due the the extreme abhorrence of winding up behind it again. Nelson is a cool little city of only 60,000 but it lives larger than that due to the influx of tourists…lots of old farts like us, but tons of young backpacker types ready to tramp (trek) the bush. It’s a dream place for nature lovers of any age, and NZ is so user friendly that you can find whatever style and level of travel you want. Backpackers camp, crash on couch surfing, find cheap digs where shared bathrooms aren’t as important as they are to some of us. There is a great network of intercity buses plus selected rail service. Camper vans loaded full of people can use “Holiday Parks” where they have facilities to pitch a tent, rent a cabin or pull the camper to a stop. Then they go off tramping the myriad of lovely walks available throughout NZ. On one small walk that we did we got a small taste of the trail. We had taken a boat with about 75 others out along the coast line of Abel Tasman National Park. After depositing us and others on a beach we walked back to another beach, a trek of 2 hours, up and over the ever present hills. Coming the opposite directions were the real trampers…the kids from many lands who have come to see the beauty of NZ. Many different tongues were heard along the trail as small groups of 2’s and 3’s approached on their way into the hinterlands of the park. There are many 3-4 day treks all around NZ where people can get into the interior of the thick bush which leads to hidden treasures not found to the vast majority of visitors. There was even a couple carrying what looked like about a 4 month old baby in a belly pack. This child will be able to say he/she walked the Abel Tasman when he/she was only a baby.

But for us day hikers, it may have just been a hint but it was spectatular…the thick canopy of ferns and trees formed an arch like ceremonial swords under which we passed along the winding trail – up the hill and down the other side, then repeating the process again. Beech trees looking like they had been victims of fire with their blackened bark lined the way. The black, we learned, was just the sap which had run and solidified on the bark. Bees even use the flowers for a very dark, strong tasting honey. Then a break in the trees would show a pristine beach below – a long stretch of white sand with nary a soul in view to interrupt the eyes enjoyment of the scene.

Leaving Nelson we headed south trying to stay ahead of the weather which was nasty and headed our way. Occasional deer farms popped into view with their high fences to prevent escape into the wild. They are commercial ventures with the meat being sold and they somehow harvest the deer velvet from the horns and ship it to Japan, for what purpose I have no clue. this is a country which lends itself to all types of travelers…Globus tour buses tool around the highways transporting clients who wish to see NZ from the large picture windows, the aforementioned multitude of backpackers are everywhere, camper vans litter the highways like the dead possums, and the rental car industry is thriving with the many travelers, like us, who want the flexibility of determining their own schedules. We’ve discovered a way to beat the high price of hotels…backpacker hostels work wonders…When I was a lad they were just for individuals under the age of 25, but here in NZ they are for everybody…It was like stepping back in time to enter the hostel and see so many people from all over the world. We had our own room with bathroom and wi fi for $70. What’s not to like. Laundry facilities are available, and in the one we stayed in at Franz Josef, they served a big pot of vegetable soup for dinner and had cereal and toast/jam for breakfast…all in the price. Very cool