New Zealand, 8-30-2017--Springfield to Arthurs Pass

The next morning we continued driving west, out of the coastal flatlands and up toward the Southern Alps.  Streams and rivers became frequent, most of them milky with glacial sediment.

Sheep were grazing on pastures green with grass, despite it being late winter.

Entering the Southern Alps, we found immaculately maintained trails everywhere.  

Before we hiking into Castle Rocks, we convert Mr. Orange from transportation to kitchen for a lunch break. 

We couldn't resist a photo of this message on the side of a camper van at the trailhead. 

Not a bad life philosophy.

Pearl at Castle Rocks

David at Castle Rocks, with the Southern Alps in the background

Have we mentioned sheep?

Waimakariri River.  Like most of the large rivers flowing out of the Southern Alps, the river bed is amazingly wide due to flooding. 

One way bridges abound in NZ.  The larger black arrow indicates that oncoming traffic has the right of way if opposing traffic arrives at the same time. 

NZ is a livestock raisers paradise.  Mild winters and frequent rain keeps pastures green year-round and the largest predator is the possum. 

We spent so much time taking photos, admiring the scenery, stopping to check out various plants and taking a hike that by days end we'd only covered 50 miles.  At that rate it would probably take us a year or more to see both islands.

We camped for the night at Arthurs Pass, an alpine village not far below snow level.  Here we encountered keas, the world's only alpine parrot.  Intelligent and on the decline, with only about 5000 left in the wild, they charm visitors and bedevil the locals.  As the sign notes, they love chewing on vehicle weather stripping, rubber windshield wiper blades and just about anything else they can get their powerful beaks on.

Someone ignored the sign and a flock of keas soon had a truck bed of garbage strewn all over the road and sidewalk.