After a quiet and restful night at Jackson’s Retreat, we’re nearly the last campervan to leave the holiday park this morning. It’s a bit sad, it’s our last campervan day in New Zealand’s South Island before we check in the van back in Christchurch and have our last night in the city.
But it’s another beautiful, sunny and hot day so we “break camp” as we call it and follow our host’s suggestion to hike Castle Hill – a huge cluster of limestone rocks further down Arthur’s Pass toward Christchurch. If you’re a Lord of the Rings movie fan, you may recognize these as we did once we belatedly caught up on the trilogy. I’m pretty sure a trekking scene passed right through here – and we see why once we’re hiking among the giant boulders. There’s just something about being up close to such geologic magic – something that has been here for eons. I feel this way hiking in old-growth forests too – a sense of permanence.
We note that what we love about New Zealand is natural sites like these aren’t closed off to hiking. With such a small population, the country’s South Island is pristine and nowhere near overrun like some of the National Parks and sites in the U.S. We climb, find hand and foot holds and reach the top of a few for a panoramic view only our eyes can capture. Our photos only give you a hint, so try experiencing it like you are there in this inspiring video I found – the aerial footage is amazing!