We set off early this morning, the Mighty Camper rumbling out of Reefton before the town had fully woken up. The forecast wasn’t exactly on our side grey skies, low cloud, drizzle turning to full-blown rain but we weren’t about to skip Arthur’s Pass.
The drive started slow and winding, mist curling through the valleys, the road narrowing as we climbed higher. The bridges felt endless long, slick ribbons of tarmac suspended over wild rivers. Every few minutes, we’d get another dramatic glimpse through the fog: cliffs rising out of nowhere, waterfalls tumbling down from invisible peaks.
Ali handled the drive like a pro, steering the big van through the twists while I watched the scenery unfold. The mountains were moody and magnificent all shadow and mist and somehow that made it even better.
When we finally reached the top, the clouds broke just enough to reveal Devils Punchbowl Waterfall. We layered up and set off on the track, Dotty on Ali’s back in the carrier and Georgia powering ahead in her colourful jacket. The path crossed swing bridges and wound through thick beech forest before opening out to the roar of the waterfall.
Up close, it was unreal. The water thundered down in white fury, sending spray through the air like fine rain. We stood on the viewing platform, soaked but grinning the kind of moment that makes every step worth it.
After the walk, we headed back into the little village for a well-earned warm-up. The tiny petrol station café served up hot chocolates, coffee, and vegetarian sausage rolls absolute gold in the cold. As we sat there steaming up the windows, a cheeky kea (New Zealand’s alpine parrot) wandered by outside, eyeing up anything shiny.
There’s something almost human about them intelligent, curious, and full of mischief. We saw another one later at the car park, pacing around the camper like it was inspecting the new arrival.
From there, it was back on the road, descending through mist and rain until the skies started to clear. The first patch of blue appeared just as we rolled into Hokitika, our stop for the night.
The Hokitika Holiday Park turned out to be a gem family-friendly, clean, and with a playground that Georgia and Dotty made a beeline for the moment we parked. We let them play out the last of their energy before bed while the rain finally gave way to a golden evening light.
Dinner was simple pasta for dotty again, and jackets for us eaten to the sound of rain dripping off the camper roof and the girls laughing about the “birds” we’d met that day.
Another long day on the road, another big tick on the map. Tomorrow, we chase the coast.
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