Our final night in New Zealand was spent in Christchurch. The pictures speak for themselves in terms of the remaining extent of the damage from the 2011 earthquake and the ongoing rebuilding, impacting almost all of central Christchurch. Much of the rebuilding work has been subject to controversy as to whether to renovate, where possible, or rebuild, notably the cathedral, which has been deconsecrated and temporarily replaced by the “Cardboard Cathedral”.

On the way to Christchurch we stopped at Castle Hill, an array of limestone boulders of fame ranging from the building of Christchurch cathedral to the filming of The Chronicles of Narnia. For us it was a good opportunity to build up an appetite for our next stop in Sheffield, home of a famous pie shop.

Arthur Dobson was given the task of finding a route between the West Coast and Christchurch in the late 1800s. He was told of a route used by the Maoris which he proposed as a solution to the government. His brother was asked to see if he could find a better route; after due consideration he declared “Arthur’s Pass” as being the best route. After disagreement over a number of years the New Zealand postal service finally settled, in 1975, that the spelling should include an apostrophe.

We stayed in a lodge, owned by the same people as the one at Lake Moeraki, approximately half way through the pass. The views through the pass and from the lodge were spectacular, including from “death corner” (first photo below). The lodge is run along the same “wilderness” lines as the other we stayed at and is also on a working sheep and cattle farm.

We stayed at Franz Josef but also visited the Fox Glacier. Due to weather conditions our “heli-hike” was cancelled, so the closest we got to a glacier was 750m. This was still close enough to appreciate the majesty of an incredible force of nature.

We stayed at a “wilderness lodge” at Lake Moeraki owned and managed by a couple with a scientific/ eco-tourism background. It felt like the meeting of a conservation project, a luxury lodge and a geography field trip. The remoteness of the lodge and philosophy of the owners created an immersive experience which we quickly settled into. TVs and WiFi were dispensed with in favour of guided nature trails, star gazing and notes to accompany an extensive range of tracks through rainforests, to the lake in one direction and the beach in the other. The lack of air and light pollution, together with a clear night, meant we had our best view of the night sky to observe the Southern Cross, galaxies and the International Space Station.

The West Coast highway was only completed in 1965 and remains relatively quiet. Parts of it were washed away or covered by landslides in the recent cyclone, so much of the road is currently under repair, although passable with some patience. We stopped at a number of beaches, bays and lakes, including Jackson Bay usually by-passed by tourists as it involves a detour from the highway.