Mount Sunday

Blog 29  - The Road to 'Edoras' (Mount Sunday) in the Hakatere National Park:

Going to Twizel was all about the LOR location and today we are off to another - Mount Sunday (Edoras in LOR) located in Central Canterbury region and standing in a very remote area of outstanding beauty.  There is a final 20km of 'unsealed road' to contend with before we can enjoy the awaiting prize. Nancy Nissan was performing admirably and we had every confidence that we would make our destination. The driver  - well that is a different story!

A slight delay in setting off this morning as there were a couple of personal lost items following our LOR tour last evening. I left my anorak on the guide's mini bus and Jacky lost her nice Maori necklace purchased in the North Island, north of Auckland. I retrieved my clothing but alas the necklace could not be found which was upsetting.

After a later-than-normal pleasant breakfast in a local cafe in the town centre we started our travel day to Mount Potts Lodge, an early settler merino sheep station deep into a remote high country glacial valley looking towards the eastern foothills of the Mount Cook National Park. This trip is to find Mount Sunday, the mythical Edoras, capital of Rohan, the land of fabled horses and valiant warriors in the LOR trilogy. 

Lake Pukaki

We stop for a final look at Lake Pukaki but can not get the iconic view towards Mount Cook because of the low morning clouds. We may get that opportunity later if the sun breaks through. Sod's law kicks in and a few miles down the road the sun starts to break through; we turn Nancy around and head back to another spot to take some pictures, not quite capturing Mt Cook but other mountains of the Southern Alps create a spectacular back drop to our east as we drive along on now a lovely sunny late morning.. 

View from Mt John to Lake Tekapo

We turn off to climb the steep road towards the summit of Mt John to view the landscape from the observatory site overlooking the Mackenzie basin. This whole area boasts some of the clearest skies in NZ, which are further enhanced by Lake Tekapo's responsible use of town and country lighting and the whole effect is stunning. 

Church of the Good Shepherd

We pass the beautiful lakeside Church of the Good Shepherd built around 80 years ago. This small stone and oak building is placed not coincidentally in a panoramic backdrop lake/mountain setting making it a popular choice for weddings. It is the most photographed church in the country.. 

Nearby is a statue of a collie dog, a tribute to the hard working breed that helped establish the sheep industry, so much associated with NZ.  We are in MacKenzie Country - This is named after a notorious Scotsman called James McKenzie (note the different spelling) who was caught in these parts in the 1840's with a great number of allegedly stolen sheep. His capture, escape and pardon became the stuff of legend and such was his fame that it encouraged other settlers to notice the great potential that the stunning terrain offered for sheep rearing and so a way of life was born..

Brown tussock grass and Merino sheep

We continue to travel through the open brown tussock Mackenzie countryside north east towards and through the 670m Burke Pass. Now pressed for time, we do not stop in the heritage town of Fairlie with its local museum. I have mentioned in previous blogs how excellent these local museums are in respect of their layout, information and exhibits and although disappointed we need to arrive at our unsealed road trip up the valley to Mount Potts station in reasonable light.

Ah the plans of mice and men - who said that?. We were passing through a pretty town called Geraldine and noticed a local shop too good to pass by as it sold locally produced garments made from the famous Merino wool. We both purchased items (that suitcase we bought in Oamaru is filling up nicely with extras, which was not the plan!).  

The now useful possum

I have mentioned before that the Kiwi spirit in the face of adversity is inspiring, I also told you that one of the great problems the environmentalists face here is the threat from vermin, like the possum introduced from Australia by settlers to kill off rabbits, themselves introduced as a food source without understanding the breeding ferocity of our little burrowing friends. Well what do the Kiwis come up with? Combine the fur of the possum with the wool of the merino and you have a fabric that is long lasting, cool in summer and warm in winter. The possum's fur, like that of a polar bear, has hollow fibres which act as insulators to produce this double season use of resources - clever eh?..   

Now we really must motor on to catch up on time. Fortunately the road is straight and flat and within in a hour we are turning off at the small settlement town of Mt Somers.

Hakatere Conservation Park

We are now in an area known as Hakatere Conservation Park; it's a traditional 'wetland' and over the last several years the restoration programme has helped enormously to re-establish the native plant and wild life species only found here in 'kettle holes' along the Rangitata River basin.  These kettle holes indicate a glacial beginning to this valley and river basin. The wetlands were formed when huge blocks of ice broke away from the retreating glacier leaving depressions that sometimes filled with water. The plant species in the holes are mostly very small, 

The Scree Skink

rare and have a special character that adapts to changing water conditions. You will find here the crested grebe waterbird and plant life like the bladderwort or the magnolia-looking flower of the gentian. You may also catch a glimpse of the long tailed lizard, the scree skink, on the rocks. 

Diverse terrain on road top Mount Potts

The whole Park is a criss cross of tracks with several small lakes and hills ranging from a hearty few hundred metres' climb to their summit or in contrast to over 2000m of almost impossible ascent unless you are a Merino sheep or mountain goat!  This was Maori greenstone trail land well before the European Settlers descended with their sheep and the hunt for gold. It was on this part of the journey in the basin foothills that the travellers gathered food for their dangerous mountain crossing to reach the west coast and the collecting of their much valued prize of the jade greenstone.

Mount Sunday (Edoras)

We are taking one of the few 'unsealed' roads in the park, going directly west passed two lakes and a small camping lodge outpost to reach our destination 20k from Mt Somers, a very rutted and rocky road really only suitable for 4x4s. We are able to travel no more than 15 / 20k per hour so after exactly one hour of slow but beautiful evening weather ranging around every corner from alpine cloud and mist to glorious sun over the distant mountains we reach Mount Potts station and our first sight of Edoras (611m-Mt Sunday). This is a stunning rocky moraine outcrop with expansive views of the Rangitata River. The hill got its name from the many boundary riders that used to meet up here on a Sunday to chat about their week's events.

View from the summit of Edoras (Mt Sunday)

Jacky took the decision to walk to the summit chasing the light at sunset while I recovered from the drive with a nice pint and free wifi at the lodge bar. I also took the opportunity to read about the film location. it took 11 months to build the required number of dwellings encircling the hill top and was of great interest to locals and trekkers. One journalist hired a light aircraft and took some photos which became a world wide scoop for his newspaper. When filming was finished on the hill all traces of the film set simply disappeared. An expensive location indeed but what an impressive place this is to see in the flesh. 

An evening was spent in reflection when Jacky got back as the night sky was brilliantly starry  and now so familiar to us. The landscapes may stunningly change but the Southern Cross remains constant to guide and remind us once again what a small but wondrous place Planet Earth is to the traveller.

Tomorrow we travel to our final destination, Christchurch, staying overnight on a southern city hilltop B&B before our one and only flight on our 126 day around the world adventure..

  

Stay with me if you can for Blog 30 - Christchurch and fly away.

DKT