TOP TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: Abel Tasman Walk (A16) Mt Cook (E12-E16) Kaikoura (B5) Moeraki Boulders (E21) Hanmer Springs (B12) Wanaka (F2-F7) Punakaiki Rocks (C10) Queenstown (F11-F19) Glaciers (D7-D12) Milford Sound (G11) Lake Tekapo (E7-E10) Well-known Second-tier Must-see Attractions: Farewell Spit (A1) Lake Matheson (D12) Wharariki Beach (A3) Mt Sunday/Edoras (E6) French Pass Rd (A19) Katiki Penguins (E22) Ohau Waterfall Seals (B4) Otago Pen. Dunedin (E29-E31) Mt Robert Loop (B7) Rob Roy Glacier (F7) Akaroa Harbour (B16) Remarkables Rd/Tracks (F15) Castle Hill (B19) Glenorchy Drive (F19) Cave Stream (B20) Routeburn Day-Walk (F23) Devils Punchbowl Falls (B23) Key Summit (G3) Oparara Arches (C2) Curio Bay (H6) Truman Cove Track (C11) Bluff Hilltop Walk (H10) Hokitika Gorge (D1) Favorite Obscurities: Paturau Beach (A8) Peak Hill Track (E1) Rawhiti Cave (A9) Tekapo Bluffs (E8) Sawcut Gorge (B2) Lake Pukaki Shore (E11) Needles Seals (B3) Clay Cliffs of Omarama (E17) Cow Stream Hot Pool (B9) Shag Point Boulders (E23) Bealey Spur Track (B21) Aramoana (E26-E27) Halpins Creek Falls (B22) Kelvin Peninsula Track (F12) Bridal Veil Falls (B25) Scheelite (F20) Mokihinui Rex (C4) Walkwire (G2) Charming Creek (C5) Humboldt Falls (G5) Gibsons Beach (C7) Waipohatu Waterfalls (H7) Motukiekie Beach (C13) World’s Fastest Indian (H11) Roberts Point Track (D8) Clifden Cave (H14) Haast Slots (D17) i NZ Frenzy South Island New Zealand ISBN: 978-0-9799232-65 First Edition Copyright © 2010 by Scott Cook Second edition © 2013 by Scott Cook Third edition © 2016 by Scott Cook All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form with previous written permission from the author. All text and photography done by the author, except where noted. Book design and layout by Jody Conners and Gary Asher, Maverick Publications, Bend, Oregon, USA. Email Scott: [email protected] Cover photo: Tasman Moraine Route (E13) Warning: Walking and tramping in New Zealand can be dangerous. All information in this book has been personally checked by the author to be accurate. However, track conditions can change. The author can accept no responsibility for any inconvenience or injury due to the use of this guide. Help me, help you, help them: please review my book on Amazon.com ii CONTENTS A NORTH REGION C13 Motukiekie Beach Walk C14 Coal Creek Falls A1 Farewell Spit A2 Cape Farewell/Pillar Pt Lighthouse C15 Greymouth Area Mining Sites A3 Wharariki Beach D WEST COAST – SOUTH REGION A4 Kaihoka Lakes A5 Whanganui Bay Road D1 Hokitika Gorge A6 Knuckle Hill Track D2 Lake Kaniere/Dorothy Falls A7 Lake Otuhie Track D3 Cesspool of the Arahura A8 Paturau Beach D4 Amethyst Hot Springs A9 Rawhiti Cave D5 Whataroa River A10 The Grove D6 Okarito Beach Loop Route A11 Wainui Falls Track D7 Franz Josef Glacier Track A12 Wainui Bay/Taupo Point Route D8 Robert’s Pt./Franz Josef Glacier A13 Abel Tasman N./Anapai/Mutton Bays D9 Global Warming, Glaciers Melting A14 Paynes Ford Limestone D10 Fox Glacier Valley Track A15 A Tale of Two Springs D11 Fox Glacier’s Chalet Track A16 Marahau–Abel Tasman Day Walk D12 Fox Glacier’s Lake Matheson A17 Cable Bay D13 Gillespies Beach/Peak Vwpt. A18 Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve D14 Bruce Bay/Maori Beach A19 Elaine Bay/French Pass D15 Monro Beach Track A20 Queen Charlotte Sound D16 Haast Pass Drive A21 Port Underwood Road Beach Coves D17 Two Easy Haast Slot Canyons A22 Shipwreck of the SS Waverley E EAST COAST – SOUTH REGION B EAST COAST – NORTH REGION E1 Peak Hill Track E2 Rakaia Gorge Walkway B1 Marfells Bch/Cape Campbell Lght. E3 Ashburton Lakes B2 Sawcut Gorge Streambed Route E4 Mt. Somers Loop Tracks B3 The Needles Seal Rookery E5 Mt. Guy Route B4 Ohau Point Fur Seals E6 Mt. Sunday/Edoras B5 Kaikoura E7 Lake Tekapo B6 Haumuri Bluffs Route E8 White Bluffs of Tekapo B7 Mt. Robert Loop E9 Tekapo’s Eastside Road B8 Molesworth/Awatere Valley Rd. E10 Pukaki-Tekapo Backroad B9 Cow Stream Hot Pool E11 Lake Pukaki Shoreline Track B10 Lake Tennyson E12 Tasman Glacier View Tracks B11 Mt. Isobel Track E13 Tasman Lk Moraine Ridge Rt B12 Hanmer Springs E14 Ball Flats Road Route B13 Sylvia Flats Hot Spring E15 Hooker Valley Track B14 Waikari Maori Rock Art Site E16 Sealy Tarns Steps B15 Quail Island Loop E17 Clay Cliffs of Omarama B16 Banks Peninsula & Akaroa Harbour E18 Lake Aviemore Lakeside Road B17 Onawe Peninsula E19 Benmore Lake Lookout Loop B18 Taylor’s Mistake/Godley Head Loop E20 Oamaru/Kakanui/Moeraki Coast Drive B19 Castle Hill E21 Moeraki Boulders B20 Cave Stream E22 Katiki Point Lighthouse Penguins B21 Bealey Spur Track E23 Shag Point B22 Halpins Creek Falls E24 Mapoutahi Head/Doctors Pt. Beaches B23 Devil’s Punchbowl Falls E25 Mt. Cargill Organpipes Track B24 Arthur’s Valley Track E26 Aramoana B25 Bridal Veil Falls E27 Heyward Point Headland Track B26 Avalanche Peak Loop Tramp E28 Tunnel Beach B27 Bealey Valley Track E29 Sandfly Bay B28 Arthur Pass’s Other Waterfalls E30 Sandymount/Lovers Leap/Chasm Lp Trk C WEST COAST – NORTH REGION E31 Taiaroa Head/Royal Albatross Centre C1 Karamea F SOUTH LAKES REGION C2 Oparara/Moria Gate Arches F1 Lake Hawea’s Bottom & Breast C3 Fenian Caves Track F2 Iron Mountain C4 Mokihinui Rex F3 Glendhu Bay Lakefront Track C5 Charming Creek Walkway F4 Diamond Lk/Rocky Mtn. Loop Trk C6 Maruia Falls View F5 Minaret Burn/Colquhouns Bch. Trk C7 Cape Foulwind F6 Glacier Burn Valley C8 Fox River Cave Track F7 Rob Roy Glacier Valley Track C9 Maori Sea Cave F8 Bendigo Ghost Town C10 Punakaiki Rocks! F9 The Nevis C11 Truman Track F10 Young Australian 1875 Waterwheel C12 Pororari River Canyon Track F11 Queenstown Hill Walkway Cont’d iii F SOUTH LAKES REGION (CONT’D) H7 Waipohatu Loop Walk, Curio Bay F12 Kelvin Peninsula Loop Track H8 Waipapa Lighthouse/Shipwreck F13 Jacks Point Loop Track H9 Greenpoint Ship Graveyard F14 The River Wye H10 Bluff Hilltop Walk F15 The Remarkables Road H11 Oreti Beach/Invercargill F16 Shotover River Canyon H12 Mores Reserve F17 Mt. Crichton Loop Track H13 Monkey Island/Cosy Nook F18 12-Mile Delta/Bob’s Cove Track H14 Clifden Cave F19 Glenorchy Drive F20 Scheelite from Shine-ola F21 Beyond Paradise F22 Lake Sylvan Loop F23 Routeburn Track Day Walk F24 Greenstone River/Rere Lake Loop G MILFORD SOUND REGION G1 Kepler Track Day Walk A G2 Fiordland “Walkwire” G3 Key Summit Track G4 Marian Lake Track G5 Humboldt Falls Adventure G6 Falls Creek Falls Adventure G7 Gertrude Valley Track G8 Homer Tunnel Ice Field C G9 Homer Headwall Waterfalls G10 The Chasm G11 Milford Sound H THE CATLINS REGION H1 Nugget Point Lighthouse and Penguins H2 Cannibal Bay B H3 Jack’s Blowhole H4 Catlins Waterfalls H5 Cathedral Caves H6 Curio Bay D E A North B East Coast – North G C West Coast – North F D West Coast – South E East Coast – South F South Lakes G Milford Sound H The Catlins H Base map courtesy of Geographx, Wellington, NZ iv USING THIS GUIDE....READ THIS Using this guidebook is different. I care FAR MORE about your travel experience in NZ than the usual mainstream guidebook author. The fol- lowing are some explanations of some of the odd things I try in order to “go the extra mile” for you. The way I see it, if an outdoors guidebook hasn’t substantially changed in the past ten years, then that guidebook author isn’t being creative enough using the newer internet tools now available to all of us. Google and the internet have changed travel planning in huge and beneficial ways. Here are some of the things I’ve tried to implement to help you both plan and then execute a far better first-time NZ trip than was ever possible in the pre-internet age. Website/blog paralleling the printed book: For each of my NZ Frenzys I’ve crafted a Wordpress website/blog which attempts to parallel the written-book entries. For this book the site is called “NZFRENZYSOUTH”, with an exact internet address of http://nzfrenzysouth.wordpress.com/. You should simply be able to Google NZFRENZYSOUTH and go directly to this site. I have an intro/instructions of sorts on the main page, but the bread ‘n’ butter of this site are the entries listed top-to-bottom along the right-hand margin, organized just as the entries in the book are organized. The chief purpose of this website is to offer the photos that are in the written book in full color and full size, but also so I can add other photos of the particular place that won’t all fit in the written book. I’m hoping that all these photos that I’ve taken over my years of exploring NZ will somehow help you make better planning choices about the places to put on your personal NZ tour- ing must-see list. I also reckon that my organized-by-place photos will be simply the best single source of organized NZ outdoors photos available ANYWHERE, either on the internet or elsewhere. I like to think that these photos with their extra little descriptions/informations will substantially help you in your at-home planning process. But…I also know that all this information might overwhelm your planning process…like too much of a good thing maybe. I know that’ll you’ll want to go everywhere and do everything in NZ…but hahahaha, you simply just can’t in your vacation time allowance. Hahaha, tough crap…planning a trip to NZ just isn’t easy because there is FAR FAR FAR too much to see and do…far far far too many natural wonders to behold.