After two days at Acheron, one walking and exploring, the
other fishing with no success... It was time to leave this
lovely place...
It was another blue sky and perfect day and only 12km to
the Hanmer, Jacks Pass and Rainbow, Tophouse Road junction...
The last Molesworth boundary gate...
Now locked for the winter...
And it was back on the dry dusty road and dry tussocks and
beautiful mountains...
A stop to enjoy the view and feel the enormousness and silence...
And make coffee!
The road was good...
Only one small ford...
Following the Clarence River...
And the electricity pylons...
And here's the junction...
Think I'll go to Lake Tennyson! The information in
my book says 2x2 vehicles can do it...
Interesting to realise I have come the huge (joke) distance
of 171km, took me five days.
Another motor homer I met recently who towed a car, told
me he did the whole trip to Hanmer, had coffee and went back
again in one day... What a lot he missed (in my opinion!)
The road on the map goes in a big U shaped loop... Follows
the Clarence. Lake Tennyson is as far north as Pudding Hill.
Six km and another sign...More information...
I'm following a grader so the road is good but the
dust incredible...
Then I caught up to it and rocks everywhere.
He pulled over to let me pass...
Not much further on I came to this notice... Mmmm!
Oh well, I'll see how far I get.
The scenery continues to be spectacular and the sky blue...
The road and river to Lake Tennyson is the Molesworth
boundary, first with the Hanmer Conservation Park then
with St James Conservation Area.
Dry, golden tussocks as far as I can see...
The road deteriorated considerably. In fact it was the worst of
my whole journey, the corrugations were terrible and
shook and rattled my bus inside out. Progress was at a very
slow pace, 10-20kmh... (Do click to enlarge)
I stopped here...
There was so little water in the river.
A friend had told me it's good trout fishing but
have to find some water first!
Me, by myself, in the middle of nowhere...
Another gate...
It looks like somebody hit it in the dark!
The Tophouse Road went on... I'm counting down the km's...
Heading towards those jagged mountains in the Travers
and St Arnaud Ranges...
and St Arnaud Ranges...
Then suddenly... This most stunning sight... The blue, blue
waters of Lake Tennyson...
I parked on a flat space right by the lake...
This is where the lake feeds into the Clarence River.
Can you spot the roof of my bus and the information shelter
in this vast space?
I stayed one night, the lake was very shallow and full of
Didymo so very slippery. The wind howled, rocked the bus
and blew me inside out. I had battled my way round the lake edge
for quite a way but as fishing was not an option decided to move on...
The hot pools at Hanmer Springs were calling out to me!
So it was back on the road... Stretching into the distance...
Slow, rugged and dusty.
I still haven't worked out what these weight restrictions mean!
And here I am, the top of Jacks Pass looking down at Hanmer.
The end of my Molesworth journey and adventure.
I hope you have enjoyed journeying with me... I'll do it again
despite the dust, just want more water in the rivers for fishing.
I spent 3 days at Hanmer soaking in the pools then to
Christchurch where I have been for the last three weeks,
parked outside my Dad's retirement village and almost
being a rest home inmate the staff made me so welcome and
fed and watered me whenever I wanted...
But NO... I'm not senile yet!
It's onwards with my travels and adventures.
A week after I had left Lake Tennyson the weather dramatically
changed and this photo was in the Christchurch Press...
A car stuck and abandoned in the snow on the Tophouse Road...
Where I'd just come from!
Also another earthquake rattled and rolled... This was in the
Christchurch Press on 26th April...
"Friday's Marlborough earthquake that was labeled "violent" and also "severe" ...
It is the largest quake in New Zealand so far this year...
The magnitude 6.2 event, generated 52km down in the upper Awatere River valley,
gave Molesworth a real shaking. St Arnaud, Kaikoura and Hanmer Springs
also experienced strong and scary ground motion."
Read more here...
So, all in all I think I timed my trip perfectly!
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