Journey to Blackball

Leaving Abel Tasman National Park, we started our journey south down the west coast of the South Island.  This is probably the most isolated and rugged part of New Zealand.  The Southern Alps run through the middle of the island and the west coast is on the windward side, facing the Tasman Sea.  As a result, it gets a lot of rain and through millions of years of erosion, created some jagged features on the mountains and the beaches.  Below are pictures of some of these beautiful landscapes.

We also passed through many small towns, that were once bustling mining towns.  Gold that were found in some of these areas brought many immigrants to New Zealand in the 1800s'.  We spent the night in Blackball, once a coal mining town and a place renowned in New Zealand for its union activities.  We stayed at the Blackball Hilton, which has seen better days.  It's now formally called "the former Blackball Hilton," after being threatened by the Hilton Hotel chain for copyright infringement.

As we drive through this area, the landscape keeps changing:  farms with sheep, cow and deer; waterfalls, lakes, beautiful coastline, and on top of that, snow on top of the Southern Alps.  Our destination is the Franz Josef Glacier Park, which is about midway on the coast of the island.

Hike Through Cape Foulwind

Rugged coast on west coast

Blackball Hilton

Town of Hokititka

Jade is one of the minerals that is found in NZ

Lake Mahinapua