March 2010

From the mountains to the sea

New Zealand’s spectacular Kaikoura Coast Track will enchant in a heartbeat with the grandeur of its landscape

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY COLIN MONTEATH/TCS

Imagine standing on a tussock-covered hill in New Zealand’s spectacular South Island with a sweeping panorama before you. Your eyes are drawn to the Seaward Kaikoura range with its snow-covered peaks that plummet abruptly into a shimmering Pacific Ocean. Between the two lies some of the prettiest farmland imaginable, with bright green rolling hills dotted with powder puff sheep and sleek black cattle.

Radiating through the landscape is a series of winding gullies choked with native trees and flowering shrubs. Birdsong chimes over booming surf. The air is crystal clear save for the faint drift of salt spray across an empty black-sand beach.

The Kaikoura Coast Track is one of 30 private walkways operating in New Zealand, and the great advantage of this one is that it begins only one-and-a-half hours’ north of Christchurch, gateway city to the South Island. It’s also enroute to the township of Kaikoura, New Zealand’s marine adventure capital, where the justly famous Dolphin Encounter and Whale Watch operations are located. Experiencing all three in the space of a few days is the perfect way to sample the island’s delights.

Open October to April, the walkway is a convenient round trip, taking only three days’ easy walking for the 50km journey. Each night on the trail is spent in a well-equipped rustic farm cottage with the evening chill taken off by a cosy wood stove. What a treat not to have to carry your own pack, sleeping bag or food! Each morning your baggage is whisked away by the track hosts to await your arrival at the next farm. A light daypack with lunch, parka and camera is all that’s required.

If you can’t be bothered bringing your own food, hearty farm-style meals, such as roast lamb with steamed vegetables and salad, are available on weekdays and can be ordered in advance. Local wine is on hand too, supplied from the many vineyards you will drive through north of Christchurch.

What makes the Kaikoura Coast Track truly stand out is that the walkway can be enjoyed by even novice walkers of all ages. Importantly, it allows a wonderful interaction with three New Zealand farming families. Your hosts are all distinctive Kiwi characters with considerable local knowledge they’re only too willing to share.

Gypsy and 90-year-old JD take pride in welcoming you to The Staging Post, from where their daughter-in-law Linda will transport you in the morning to the start point under the Hawkswood Range. At the end of day one you’ll be swept along by the hospitality of Bruce and Heather Macfarlane, long-time owners of the charming homestead Ngaroma. And on the third night, it’s time to enjoy the enthusiasm of Sally and David Handyside, their boisterous sheepdogs and snuffly pug at Medina.

It only takes my friends and I two hours from the start near the highway to meander up the trail, through open podocarp forest, to the crest of the Hawkswood Range. Eager for the top, we scramble round the side of Skull Peak where the view opens up with a stunning vista of mountain, land and seascape all jumbled into one and warmed by the ocean air.

By lunchtime we’re hungry, so we stroll along a farm track that girdles Skull Peak to a little hut with a porch that seems to jut out over the sea. Thoughtfully, a gas stove and soup have been laid on to encourage walkers to linger and soak in the view. There’s no rush to hurry to Ngaroma as it’s downhill all the way and only two hours away at most.

An empty black-sand beach is a highlight of day two. A Hector’s dolphin, the world’s smallest, cavorts just beyond the waves and two cheeky fur seals snort at our passing. The week before, a southern right whale and her calf were in residence for days along this part of the coast.

After a two-hour walk on the sand under shell-studded cliffs and relics of ancient forests (think 8,000-year-old tree stumps), we pull in to Circle Shelter hut, an old Maori pa, or campsite. An open fire soon cranks up another fine brew of tea.

We leave the beach at this point and head inland. From the lookout on the headland, we can see Banks Peninsula to the south and, to the north, the jagged outline of Kaikoura Peninsula with its thriving fur seal colony. We hike across paddocks full of merino ewes, each with a pair of lambs.

We leave the lush grassland and dip down into a surprisingly deep gully for an hour’s walk through mixed forest, a pleasant interlude of shade under massive 800-year-old Kahikatea, Matai and Totara canopies. Soon, we’re ensconced in “The Whare”, our cabin for the night at Medina, and I’m downing two big glasses of Sally’s fresh lemonade.

After bottlefeeding the lambs in the morning, we wave goodbye to Sally and David and head up towards the Mt Wilson hut and the four-hour walk across the range back to The Staging Post. Thankfully, it’s clear again and we get fine views north to snow-draped Tapuae-O-Uenuku, the highest peak on the South Island outside the Southern Alps.

Soon we’re pulling on spray jackets for a Kaikoura whale-watching trip. There’s something very powerful about being up close and personal with a sperm whale. These are the monstrous Moby Dicks of the cetacean world, the largest of all the toothed whales.

Sperm whales inhabit the deep water off Kaikoura and can dive a remarkable 2km deep on a single breath into the Hikurangi trench looking for giant squid, their favourite food. It’s exhilarating to sit quietly in our little craft as they inhale and exhale slowly on the surface as they prepare for the next dive. Then, seemingly in slow motion and with a sweep of their massive tail, they disappear into the depths.

Kaikoura has something for everyone: beach solitude, kayaking with seals, swimming with dolphins and fine seafood dining.

We raise a glass of crisp white wine to the majesty of whales and dolphins and to a fine walk on the Kaikoura Coast Track, a unique Kiwi experience.

Jetstar flies direct to Christchurch from Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane; JetSaver Light fares from AU$179 one way. On Jetstar New Zealand domestic flights, you can fly direct to Christchurch from Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown; JetSaver Light fares from NZ$49. Book online at Jetstar.com