Jan 3: Franz Joseph to Arthur's Pass

We finally came to the conclusion that we wouldn't be able to make it to the north part of the island, Abel Tasman and the wine country, so we took our time this morning driving up to Arthur's Pass.  Stopped in the super cute town of Hokitika--great coffee shops and a little artisan cheese store.  New Zealand makes the BEST cheese and honey.  So special. 

By late afternoon we'd made the drive to Arthur's Pass which was stunning with its huge mountain peaks and steep drop offs. 

We stopped off at the Visitor's center and were greeted by a flock of Kea birds (the namesake of our campervan rental).  The guy at the campervan place had told us about these birds and how they love to chew on the rubber on the tops of the cars.  Sure enough, they started in on the car next to us within 5 minutes.

A few more pics of gorgeous Arthur's Pass:

Finished the afternoon with a nice long hike at Bealy Spur Track, about 2 hours up to a hut at the top.  It was a grueling climb, but worth the 360 views along the way.

 
Final night in a free campsite at Lake Pearson, just outside the park.  We tried to get to bed early as we planned for a 5:15am departure the next day in order to get to the airport for my departure to Bali. . .It was definitely a VERY full week and an amazing vacation.  Lisa and I debated over who loved the campervan the most, and we decided it was a tie.  We both fell in love with the country and the ease with which we are able to travel around.  I'll definitely be going back one day. . .