Table Of ContentTOP TOURIST ATTRACTIONS:
Abel Tasman Walk (A16) Mt Cook (E12-E16)
Kaikoura (B5) Moeraki Boulders (E21)
Hanmer Springs (B12) Wanaka (F2-F7)
Punakaiki Rocks (C10) Queenstown (F11-F19)
Glaciers (D7-D12) Milford Sound (G11)
Lake Tekapo (E7-E10)
Well-known Second-tier Must-see Attractions:
Farewell Spit (A1) Lake Matheson (D12)
Wharariki Beach (A3) Mt Sunday/Edoras (E6)
French Pass Rd (A19) Katiki Penguins (E22)
Ohau Waterfall Seals (B4) Otago Pen. Dunedin (E29-E31)
Mt Robert Loop (B7) Rob Roy Glacier (F7)
Akaroa Harbour (B16) Remarkables Rd/Tracks (F15)
Castle Hill (B19) Glenorchy Drive (F19)
Cave Stream (B20) Routeburn Day-Walk (F23)
Devils Punchbowl Falls (B23) Key Summit (G3)
Oparara Arches (C2) Curio Bay (H6)
Truman Cove Track (C11) Bluff Hilltop Walk (H10)
Hokitika Gorge (D1)
Favorite Obscurities:
Paturau Beach (A8) Peak Hill Track (E1)
Rawhiti Cave (A9) Tekapo Bluffs (E8)
Sawcut Gorge (B2) Lake Pukaki Shore (E11)
Needles Seals (B3) Clay Cliffs of Omarama (E17)
Cow Stream Hot Pool (B9) Shag Point Boulders (E23)
Bealey Spur Track (B21) Aramoana (E26-E27)
Halpins Creek Falls (B22) Kelvin Peninsula Track (F12)
Bridal Veil Falls (B25) Scheelite (F20)
Mokihinui Rex (C4) Walkwire (G2)
Charming Creek (C5) Humboldt Falls (G5)
Gibsons Beach (C7) Waipohatu Waterfalls (H7)
Motukiekie Beach (C13) World’s Fastest Indian (H11)
Roberts Point Track (D8) Clifden Cave (H14)
Haast Slots (D17)
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NZ Frenzy South Island New Zealand
ISBN: 978-0-9799232-65
First Edition Copyright © 2010 by Scott Cook
Second edition © 2013 by Scott Cook
Third edition © 2016 by Scott Cook
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in
any form with previous written permission from the author.
All text and photography done by the author, except where
noted.
Book design and layout by Jody Conners and Gary Asher,
Maverick Publications, Bend, Oregon, USA.
Email Scott: [email protected]
Cover photo: Tasman Moraine Route (E13)
Warning: Walking and tramping in New Zealand can be dangerous.
All information in this book has been personally checked by the
author to be accurate. However, track conditions can change. The
author can accept no responsibility for any inconvenience or injury
due to the use of this guide.
Help me, help you, help them:
please review my book on Amazon.com
ii
CONTENTS
A NORTH REGION C13 Motukiekie Beach Walk
C14 Coal Creek Falls
A1 Farewell Spit
C15 Greymouth Area Mining Sites
A2 Cape Farewell/Pillar Pt Lighthouse
A3 Wharariki Beach D WEST COAST – SOUTH REGION
A4 Kaihoka Lakes
D1 Hokitika Gorge
A5 Whanganui Bay Road
D2 Lake Kaniere/Dorothy Falls
A6 Knuckle Hill Track
D3 Cesspool of the Arahura
A7 Lake Otuhie Track
D4 Amethyst Hot Springs
A8 Paturau Beach
D5 Whataroa River
A9 Rawhiti Cave
D6 Okarito Beach Loop Route
A10 The Grove
D7 Franz Josef Glacier Track
A11 Wainui Falls Track
D8 Robert’s Pt./Franz Josef Glacier
A12 Wainui Bay/Taupo Point Route
D9 Global Warming, Glaciers Melting
A13 Abel Tasman N./Anapai/Mutton Bays
D10 Fox Glacier Valley Track
A14 Paynes Ford Limestone
D11 Fox Glacier’s Chalet Track
A15 A Tale of Two Springs
D12 Fox Glacier’s Lake Matheson
A16 Marahau–Abel Tasman Day Walk
D13 Gillespies Beach/Peak Vwpt.
A17 Cable Bay
D14 Bruce Bay/Maori Beach
A18 Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve
D15 Monro Beach Track
A19 Elaine Bay/French Pass
D16 Haast Pass Drive
A20 Queen Charlotte Sound
D17 Two Easy Haast Slot Canyons
A21 Port Underwood Road Beach Coves
A22 Shipwreck of the SS Waverley E EAST COAST – SOUTH REGION
B EAST COAST – NORTH REGION E1 Peak Hill Track
E2 Rakaia Gorge Walkway
B1 Marfells Bch/Cape Campbell Lght. E3 Ashburton Lakes
B2 Sawcut Gorge Streambed Route E4 Mt. Somers Loop Tracks
B3 The Needles Seal Rookery E5 Mt. Guy Route
B4 Ohau Point Fur Seals E6 Mt. Sunday/Edoras
B5 Kaikoura E7 Lake Tekapo
B6 Haumuri Bluffs Route E8 White Bluffs of Tekapo
B7 Mt. Robert Loop E9 Tekapo’s Eastside Road
B8 Molesworth/Awatere Valley Rd. E10 Pukaki-Tekapo Backroad
B9 Cow Stream Hot Pool E11 Lake Pukaki Shoreline Track
B10 Lake Tennyson E12 Tasman Glacier View Tracks
B11 Mt. Isobel Track E13 Tasman Lk Moraine Ridge Rt
B12 Hanmer Springs E14 Ball Flats Road Route
B13 Sylvia Flats Hot Spring E15 Hooker Valley Track
B14 Waikari Maori Rock Art Site E16 Sealy Tarns Steps
B15 Quail Island Loop E17 Clay Cliffs of Omarama
B16 Banks Peninsula & Akaroa Harbour E18 Lake Aviemore Lakeside Road
B17 Onawe Peninsula E19 Benmore Lake Lookout Loop
B18 Taylor’s Mistake/Godley Head Loop E20 Oamaru/Kakanui/Moeraki Coast Drive
B19 Castle Hill E21 Moeraki Boulders
B20 Cave Stream E22 Katiki Point Lighthouse Penguins
B21 Bealey Spur Track E23 Shag Point
B22 Halpins Creek Falls E24 Mapoutahi Head/Doctors Pt. Beaches
B23 Devil’s Punchbowl Falls E25 Mt. Cargill Organpipes Track
B24 Arthur’s Valley Track E26 Aramoana
B25 Bridal Veil Falls E27 Heyward Point Headland Track
B26 Avalanche Peak Loop Tramp E28 Tunnel Beach
B27 Bealey Valley Track E29 Sandfly Bay
B28 Arthur Pass’s Other Waterfalls E30 Sandymount/Lovers Leap/Chasm Lp Trk
C WEST COAST – NORTH REGION E31 Taiaroa Head/Royal Albatross Centre
C1 Karamea F SOUTH LAKES REGION
C2 Oparara/Moria Gate Arches F1 Lake Hawea’s Bottom & Breast
C3 Fenian Caves Track F2 Iron Mountain
C4 Mokihinui Rex F3 Glendhu Bay Lakefront Track
C5 Charming Creek Walkway F4 Diamond Lk/Rocky Mtn. Loop Trk
C6 Maruia Falls View F5 Minaret Burn/Colquhouns Bch. Trk
C7 Cape Foulwind F6 Glacier Burn Valley
C8 Fox River Cave Track F7 Rob Roy Glacier Valley Track
C9 Maori Sea Cave F8 Bendigo Ghost Town
C10 Punakaiki Rocks! F9 The Nevis
C11 Truman Track F10 Young Australian 1875 Waterwheel
C12 Pororari River Canyon Track F11 Queenstown Hill Walkway
Cont’d
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F SOUTH LAKES REGION (CONT’D) H7 Waipohatu Loop Walk, Curio Bay
F12 Kelvin Peninsula Loop Track H8 Waipapa Lighthouse/Shipwreck
F13 Jacks Point Loop Track H9 Greenpoint Ship Graveyard
F14 The River Wye H10 Bluff Hilltop Walk
F15 The Remarkables Road H11 Oreti Beach/Invercargill
F16 Shotover River Canyon H12 Mores Reserve
F17 Mt. Crichton Loop Track H13 Monkey Island/Cosy Nook
F18 12-Mile Delta/Bob’s Cove Track H14 Clifden Cave
F19 Glenorchy Drive
F20 Scheelite from Shine-ola
F21 Beyond Paradise
F22 Lake Sylvan Loop
F23 Routeburn Track Day Walk
F24 Greenstone River/Rere Lake Loop
G MILFORD SOUND REGION
A
G1 Kepler Track Day Walk
G2 Fiordland “Walkwire”
G3 Key Summit Track
G4 Marian Lake Track
G5 Humboldt Falls Adventure
G6 Falls Creek Falls Adventure
G7 Gertrude Valley Track
G8 Homer Tunnel Ice Field C
G9 Homer Headwall Waterfalls
G10 The Chasm
G11 Milford Sound
H THE CATLINS REGION
H1 Nugget Point Lighthouse and Penguins B
H2 Cannibal Bay
H3 Jack’s Blowhole
H4 Catlins Waterfalls
H5 Cathedral Caves
H6 Curio Bay
D
E
A North
B East Coast – North
G C West Coast – North
F D West Coast – South
E East Coast – South
F South Lakes
G Milford Sound
H The Catlins
H
Base map courtesy of Geographx, Wellington, NZ
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USING THIS GUIDE....READ THIS
Using this guidebook is different. I care FAR MORE about your travel
experience in NZ than the usual mainstream guidebook author. The fol-
lowing are some explanations of some of the odd things I try in order to “go
the extra mile” for you. The way I see it, if an outdoors guidebook hasn’t
substantially changed in the past ten years, then that guidebook author
isn’t being creative enough using the newer internet tools now available
to all of us. Google and the internet have changed travel planning in huge
and beneficial ways. Here are some of the things I’ve tried to implement
to help you both plan and then execute a far better first-time NZ trip than
was ever possible in the pre-internet age.
Website/blog paralleling the printed book: For each of my NZ
Frenzys I’ve crafted a Wordpress website/blog which attempts to parallel
the written-book entries. For this book the site is called “NZFRENZYSOUTH”,
with an exact internet address of http://nzfrenzysouth.wordpress.com/.
You should simply be able to Google NZFRENZYSOUTH and go directly
to this site.
I have an intro/instructions of sorts on the main page, but the bread ‘n’
butter of this site are the entries listed top-to-bottom along the right-hand
margin, organized just as the entries in the book are organized. The chief
purpose of this website is to offer the photos that are in the written book in
full color and full size, but also so I can add other photos of the particular
place that won’t all fit in the written book. I’m hoping that all these photos
that I’ve taken over my years of exploring NZ will somehow help you make
better planning choices about the places to put on your personal NZ tour-
ing must-see list. I also reckon that my organized-by-place photos will be
simply the best single source of organized NZ outdoors photos available
ANYWHERE, either on the internet or elsewhere. I like to think that these
photos with their extra little descriptions/informations will substantially
help you in your at-home planning process. But…I also know that all this
information might overwhelm your planning process…like too much of
a good thing maybe. I know that’ll you’ll want to go everywhere and do
everything in NZ…but hahahaha, you simply just can’t in your vacation
time allowance. Hahaha, tough crap…planning a trip to NZ just isn’t easy
because there is FAR FAR FAR too much to see and do…far far far too
many natural wonders to behold. You’re just gonna have to plan to come
back. That’s not a bad thing. Lucky you.
OK, so also on the website/blog are some screen-grab GoogleEarth
maps that I create for most every entry. These maps are an attempt to
orient you to the spot, highlight the route if needed, and highlight the area’s
other points of interest if apropos. I think this is a great use of the Web,
because if a guidebook uses maps on its pages, those maps have to be
both big and detailed to be useful…but the result is that then you can’t fit
as many photos of the spot into the written guidebook…and then you might
not even know you want to visit the spot because a map will never shout
out like a photo “come see me!”. The way I see it, my book should alert
and excite you to see a spot, and my website might then fill in some extra
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details and more robust info (but the book has to have enough to stand
on its own also, in case you have no Web or just choose to be Luddite-ish
about things).
Finally, the website entry for each book entry has the GPS Google
Coordinates at the top of the page. These coordinates are also on
every entry in the written book, but having them on the website lets you
cut ’n’ paste them into either the GoogleEarth or GoogleMaps searchbox
with ease. Thus, as you look through the written book to plan your NZ
trip, I hope you’ll have your computer open to the website while also
having GoogleEarth open to cut ’n’ paste the entry GPS address into the
top left search box so that you can virtually “fly there” to see the spot on
Google-Earth. I LOVE this. Why don’t other guidebooks do this?? Oh, just
cuz they’re not trying as hard as I am. Consider the gauntlet now thrown
down. This is my personal “game of throwns”. Does it work for you? Please
lemme know…[email protected].
GC o o oo r gd l se GoogleEarth Coords for every entry: Every entry
in the book, in the header box, has a set of corresponding GoogleEarth
coordinates. These are coordinates I’ve lifted-off of GoogleEarth, in a GPS
format that is easier to copy/write than the typical GPS address that has
all those hash-marks and degree symbols. Just type the numerals into
the GoogEarth/Maps search box and voilá, you’re “virtually” there…easy-
peasy. I’ve chosen to make the coordinates point to the carpark for the
location, where the hike/outing begins, rather than the exact spot of, say,
the waterfall/cave/trail. I’ve placed photos onto GoogEarth’s Panoramio
overlay which should help you find the exact location of the waterfall/cave/
trail, etc…but first you’ll need to know where to drive to in order to start
the outing.
And, as I said in the above website dialog, the GoogleEarth coords are
on every entry on the website for easy cut ’n’ pasting.
GoogleEarth pix uploads: If you use GoogleEarth to help plan your
NZ travels, as you should, you’ll also find that I’ve uploaded
literally thousands of photos onto the Panoramio photo
collection that overlays the GoogleEarth
maps of an area. For those not “in the
know”, these photos show up as little
blue dots all over the GoogEarth maps.
If they’re not showing up on your personal GoogEarth,
then you need to check the “photos” check-box on the
bottom left side of the GoogEarth options panel.
I find that these Panoramio photos, all uploaded by kind-hearted,
do-gooding, altruistic users like myself, are a godsend for helpful travel
planning. Not only do they show you photos supposedly taken from
where the dot lays on the map, they also show a range of photos, often
of amateur quality and often in crappy weather/light conditions. I often
find this much more useful than all the perfect-as-can-be photos from the
tourism-promotion sites. Real world views, real world perspectives on a
location. Wow.
vi
Long time GoogleEarth users will know that many of these Panoramio
photos are placed in the wrong locations by sloppy photo-placers. Not much
can be done about this. But, I take the time and make the extra effort that
EVERY one of my personally uploaded photos are in the exact-est loca-
tions as they can be. This has taken me hundreds of hours. Which other
guidebook author does this?? Oh yeah, the really committed and clever
ones…i.e….not many. Why not?
Obscure-O-Meter: The li’l Obscure-o-Meter gauge I invented for the
first edition of the South Island book proved to be
one of the most popular and most commented-
upon facets of the book. Nice. It did what I hoped
it would…offering an at-a-glance experienced
insight as to a spot’s relative popularity from a tourism perspective, without
having to use valuable space in the text to get the point across.
In a nutshell, the Obscure-o-Meter gives you my personal opinion
as to how much typical tourism to expect at a particular location. Pinned
to the left means to only expect yourself and a few locals at the spot (a
local secret), whereas pinned to the right means you should expect full
tour-bus-type tourism hoopla. These ratings really only apply during the
tourism-heavy NZ summer months.
Also, if an outing is skewed towards the obscure, then you should know
that you probably won’t find much outside help on your visit there other than
my written description—you won’t find info in the mainstream guidebooks
nor at the NZ i-Sites…nor should you expect too much touring publicity
like street signs, track markers, or carpark mapboards. When I point the
marker full-left, you need to expect to be on your own and rely on your
own resourcefulness. Prepare ahead of time when venturing towards my
obscure entries, as there will be little or no help from normal NZ tourism
sources. This is what my website is also for—extra insight and help.
I created the Obscure-o-Meter for one simple reason: it’s exactly the
info that I personally crave to be told the first time I visit a travel location.
I don’t mind much if a particular “must-see” destination is crowded, as long
as I have the proper expectation to expect a crowd. What I hate is when
the guidebook/tourism info makes it seem like a place is sort of a secret,
and then you get there to see a mob of other tourists. Yikes, bummer,
Lonely Planet overload. What I also need to know is when not to expect
help from trail signs/maps or in the NZ case the little orange DoC track
markers that most-often lead you around the tracks. When you expect
junction signs and such and they’re not there…then that’s frustrating…but
knowing ahead of time when someplace is little-visited and non-touristy
tips me off that I need to check with GoogEarth and other resources before
heading out on that type of adventure.
Some folks email me with the worry that I might “ruin” the very ob-
scure places that I love by aiming my camera and words at them. Well, it
could happen…someday…but I really don’t sell many books in the bigger
scheme of NZ Tourism. The bummer might be when the Lonely Planet
authors begin to copy stuff out of my books. Hmmm. Believe me, I have
plenty of personal NZ secrets that I’m NOT telling you about (evil laugh!)
vii
Pronunciation help: I’m just trying to help a little. I’m no scholar, nor
much a cunning Maori linguist. I’m just trying to give you an early “head’s
up” so that you don’t arrive in NZ and say “May-orey” your first day and
“Poon-acki rocks!” (Punakaiki C10) your second day. If you can pronounce
the Maori place names better, you won’t feel like such a tourist fool…and
you can absorb advice better when Kiwi locals offer it by knowing how
some of these tongue-twisting place names are supposed to sound. Hope
it helps at least a li’l bit.
Walking time/distance…and walk/tramp: When you get to NZ
and head out for some walks and hikes you’ll find that Dept. of Conserva-
tion signage differs at many trailheads. Sometimes you are told how long a
walk will take one-way, sometimes how long it will take both out and back
(called “return”)…and sometimes newer signs just tell you the distance in
kms. To add to the confusion, the time-estimates on the signs are often
quite slow. When a sign says “one hour”, the trail typically takes me 40
minutes. Of course this varies for different folks.
Anyhow, so I’ve tried to tell you both distance and estimated time, ei-
ther as a one-way estimate, or for an entire loop. I’ve tried to make the NZ
Frenzy time estimates span the time for a fast hiker (myself) to a guess for
a slower (less frenzied) pace. When I say “60-80 minutes one-way”, I mean
it took me about 60 minutes, but I’m guessing an “average hiker” (one who
has companions to talk/comment with and is not always in a huge hurry
to update a massive amount of guidebook info) might take 80 minutes.
The NZ track signage probably will only post the 80-minute guesstimate.
As for the walk/tramp difference in my description…these are two
VERY big distinctions in terms of an NZ track. A walk means that
the track is well-formed and maintained whereas a tramp means to expect
rough-going conditions often with overly-steep spots that may require hands
’n’ feet scrambling, if not pure grappling. Walks have bridged streams
whereas tramps have rock-hop splash-acrosses. See entries B2, C8, and
G7 for some Kiwi-tramping perspective.
Finally…this guidebook isn’t perfect, but it is the best I’m able to
conjure up. It is the best of my abilities. However, it is also a bit of an
experiment. I have no idea if this book ’n’ website concept will actually
work well to help you plan and execute your NZ trip.
Maybe I’ve gone too far and just over-complicated
things by barraging you with too much info. Maybe
I’ve made it too difficult to decide on anything? Well,
regardless, I’ve tried my hardest to help you have a
fabulous NZ experience. NZ constantly “wows” me
and I sincerely hope my book helps you find some
major Wows of your own!
viii
“A land of stupendous mountains,
roaring cataracts, silvery cascades,
fantastic volcanic formations,
magnificent landscapes, noble forests
and picturesque islands.”
– Thomas Bracken, 1879
From The New Zealand Tourist
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