Mount Aspiring

Wanaka, Otago, New Zealand
Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The day dawned clear, sunny and bright and we decided it was the perfect opportunity to sample a Kiwi invention of some renown, namely the Jet Boat. Developed by Sir Bill Hamilton it is perfect for the shallow draft of many New Zealand rivers and is the vehicle of choice for R&R on the many lakes and rivers here down South. We chose Wanaka River Journeys as it was more than just a jet boat for sheer speed. James, our driver took us around Lake Wanaka ( 6th largest lake in the South Island ) and then up the Matukituki river, deep into Mt Aspiring National Park, a world heritage site. It was a fascinating journey up the braided river, with nesting gulls and oyster catchers lining its banks and all the time the great mountain peaks loom over one. The water sparkled bright turquoise, with all the glacial silt being carried away from the many glaciers that are a permanent feature of the park and at times there was scarcely 3ins of water under the boat. It was so clear you could see every pebble on the river bed, even if they did seem a blur at the speeds we were travelling. Periodically, James would draw a circle in the air, left or right, which would indicate a 360 degree spin and these became wilder as the morning drew on. Glacial Water spray was involved! After about 30 mins a helicopter landed by the river and Reg, Geraldine and I climbed aboard for a closer look at the peaks. Peter decided that he needed to be available to bury us all and remained with the boat! It was an amazing flight. Up and up we climbed, over the arretes, until the pilot very gently put us down on what seemed to me to be a very tiny ledge of snow some 7000 metres up. We were literally amongst the peaks and it was so clear and sharp we could see for miles. Mountain range after mountain range, glacier after glacier and we were standing on 20 mtrs of compacted snow, just trying to take it all in Over 10 mtrs of precipitation falls in these mountains per annum and it can take one flake of snow falling on the glacier over 10 years to appear as melt water from the terminal end of the glacier, depending on the conditions. Geraldine & I had never flown in a helicopter before and it was quite unlike my expectations. Smoother, with little impression of fast movement, hovering was the overall impression. We flew down to catch up with the jet boat that was by now at the head of the Matukituki river and we landed so gently as to be hardly aware of doing so. I'm not sure, but I thought I caught a glimpse of resignation in PL's eyes, no doubt calculating the lost life insurance!! There followed a bush walk through the native beech forest. Taller straighter and with much smaller leaves that in the UK, these giants cling to life in very shallow soils, sometimes no more the 6 ins deep. Sheep and cattle graze and are farmed by the Aspinall family who have owned at enormous station here for over 100 yrs. They are 4th generation farmers here in the valley. Hardy and self sufficient would describe their stock and themselves I guess! All around, are sites used for the filming of The Lord of the Rings and just arranging delivery of all the equipment involved must have been a logistical nightmare to say the least. The return journey was glorious and quicker and we were all soaked at the end, but then that is the name of the game. It was a fantastic trip, admittedly in perfect weather conditions and we saw things that would have been impossible in any other way.
We were all glad of lunch on our return and decided to walk to a nearby winery for our afternoon entertainment. It took about 20 mins along the shores of the lake and has to be the most beautifully set vineyard in NZ. The wines were not half bad either. We take our 'grape escape' very seriously as you see. I will include the odd picture for you to see.
An interesting post script, that may amuse you. We were talking to an English couple walking back and they asked G&R where they were from and when they heard the words Berry Pomeroy, it transpired that their daughter used to live in the village and they had I fact stayed at Berry Farm for their Granddaughters christening. Yet again, small world or what!
A great day and tomorrow we move on to Franz Josef. I expect the weather to break, but then we can't complain. It has been 28 & 30 degrees the last two days. How lucky are we?!Read more