There's always time for tea

The weather report predicted rain for today so we decided to set out early to try and do as much as possible before the start of the storm hits. Our destination for today was Arthur's Pass, a road that runs through the mountains from Canterbury across to the west coast. 82km along the road from where we are staying in Springfield is the Arthur's Pass village which has several walks on offer into the mountains. After breakfast we set off and the further we drove the more impressive the scenery became. Even with grey miserable looking skies the mountains were incredible to look at. The road is very windy and hugs the sides of each mountain you pass. Our first stop on our trip was Castle Hill. It's named Castle Hill because the hundreds of giant limestone boulders that are on the hill could be mistaken for the ruins of an old castle. A similar site a couple of kilometres down the road is where they filmed a battle scene from Narnia between the White Witch and Aslan but this area isn't open to the public. The whole time when walking around the rocks you're just wondering how they even got here in the first place. We were able to climb to the top of some of the largest boulders and sit and enjoy the view around us. It's a shame it wasn't a clearer day so that all the surrounding mountains were in view. We spent time drinking tea and simply taking in the surroundings. There are so many nooks and crannies to explore that you could spend all day weaving in and out of this amazing structural creation. We were conscious of the time and the imminent rain so after an hour or so we hopped back in the car and drove to our next stop at Cave Steam. You park at the top of a small hill and from the carpark you have no idea that a long tunnel cave with a river flowing through it runs right beneath your feet through the hill below. You can actually walk through the cave and river if you want to as long as the water isn't too high. It looked and felt freezing and we definitely were not feeling being sat in wet clothes so we just climbed down and had a look at the entrance instead. It's quite mind boggling how this tunnel cave even began to be carved out and how long it must have taken before the river burst through the other side. Back on the road we headed more inland and eventually reached Arthur's Pass village. After a quick coffee break we checked the visitor centre for walks we could do and also had a walk around the small museum which has information about the pass. There is a walk called Avalanche Peak which seems to be the best day trip that many people do. It is however a steep climb from the off up the side of a mountain to the summit. We felt we aren't quite at that fitness level just yet. Instead we decided to walk up to the waterfall called Devil's Punchbowl. It was quite an uphill walk but with many wooden steps so it wasn't too hard. You could see an original path through the woods so it almost felt a shame they had decided to build all these raised wooden steps because it ruined the experience a little. The forest on the other hand was incredible and as if it was straight out of a Lord of the Rings scene. So overgrown with moss and lichen. It was one of the oldest feeling forests we've been too and it was very sad to see everyone just power through it to get to the final destination as soon as possible. That's the trouble, everyone has become so obsessed with the destination they forget to enjoy the journey along the way. I spent so much time photographing mushrooms but I get so much enjoyment in capturing images of the things everyone overlooks. I feel the small things are so unappreciated and it's such a shame because there's so much beauty all around. The waterfall itself was rather impressive but I definitely fell more in love with the forest. On our drive back we pulled over several times to take photos and appreciate the ever-changing view. The rain had drawn in so when we arrived back at our Airbnb our host helped us light our log burner and we spent a good hour just talking to her. That's what we love about Airbnb, it's more personal and you get to meet some really lovely people.En savoir plus