New Zealand, 8-31-2017--Arthurs Pass to Franz Joseph

Anxious to se a bit of the backcountry, the next morning before leaving Arthurs Pass, we hiked up to Devil's Punchbowl Falls.  

The trail to the falls goes up through thick deciduous forest.  In contrast to forests in the western U.S., conifers tend to grow at lower elevations, with evergreen deciduous trees higher up. 

Near Arthurs Pass, the forest is mostly mountain beech not far below timberline. 

A curious sight along the highway were bright red rocks, colored by corralline algae. 

Leaving the Southern Alps, we descended to the coastal plain down to the Tasman Sea.  Among mariners, the Tasman has a reputation for stormy weather and at overlooks along the west coast of the South Island, we came across numerous signs mentioning shipwrecks. 

Among various plants unusual to us were cabbage trees, which abound along the coastal plains.  They're reminiscent of Joshua trees in the southwestern U.S. but the leaves are much softer.

Toward evening, we picked up a couple 20-something hitchhikers, both guides on Franz Joseph Glacier.  It was a treat for us, as we had many questions by this time and they had answers. 

2017 is an election year and we'd seen innumerable election signs and billboards along the highways.  Of particular interest were signs about something called 1080 which was apparently a hot political issue.  They confirmed that indeed it was.  More about that in the next few posts.

We also asked about their occupation, which is guiding tourists who fly up to Franz Joseph Glacier by helicopter.  Despite the cost of $400-500 per person, it's apparently quite popular, especially among Chinese tourists who make up an increasing portion of the tourist trade.