“I am rooted, but I flow” – Virginia Woolf
On a sunny Saturday spring morning in September, Michael and I decided to take the two hour drive from Christchurch to Arthur’s Pass National Park and visit the Devil’s Punchbowl Falls.
The National Park has an area of 1,143 km² and is located between Canterbury and the West Coast on the South Island. The drive from the east takes you up into the foothills of the Southern Alps past vast green beech forests and over wide, shingle-filled riverbeds towards Arthur’s Pass, with high snow-capped mountains in the distance. The road also passes natural points of interest such as the ancient limestone rock battlements at Castle Hill (an area rich in Maori history due to the special magic of the place, which was also the site of the battle scenes in the movie ‘Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe’) and Cave Stream Reserve, a 594 m long cave you can walk through.
The ancient rock battlements at Castle Hill
The falls are located on the outskirts of the remote alpine village Arthur’s Pass. The village offers a couple of places to eat, some accommodation and a small petrol station, and it’s here that many short walks of the area start from. It also shares the same name as the mountain pass a little further along which is the highest and most stunning route over the Southern Alps, offering dramatic views of the surrounding alpine landscape. Kea, the world’s only alpine parrot, are often seen in the village as they are native to the area. Very inquisitive and intelligent, they both delight and annoy visitors, so it’s wise to keep a close eye on your food and possessions when they are around!
Reaching the village, we drove through it until arriving at Punchbowl car park. The top of the falls (131 m high) was easily visible from the main road giving a glimmer of the stunning scenery yet to come. The day was warm, bright and clear, however the walk to the bottom of the falls (an estimated 30 minutes each way) is said to be well worth doing at any time of the year, in all weathers.
The walk started off on a flat path, taking us across a couple of footbridges over the glistening waters of the Bealey river and Punchbowl creek (which had a great view of the waterfall), and then leading up into mountain beech forest. Native birds chirped around us and sunshine warmed our heads as we moved beneath the trees.
The path soon became a gravel track – in places scattered with rocks, climbing first steps built into the track and then further along wooden stairs suspended against the side of the mountain. The stairs and upward path curved around the mountain side, before descending again after about 15 minutes into a leafy canyon.
Stepping back onto the shady forest floor a cool spray of water hit the skin on my arms and face, which felt very refreshing. I could hear the deep rumble of the falls clearly now, not too far away. We walked alongside the rushing water which hurled itself over rocks and around boulders, sparkling and shimmering in the early afternoon sun, the green trees on the edge of the riverbank glowing brightly in the light.
Soon we came to some more wooden stairs leading up to a viewing platform, and climbed up them. The falls, now right in front of us, cascaded down with a thundering roar – loud, powerful, and breathtaking! It was amazing being so close to the falls and feeling the huge energy of them, even if we did end up a little wet from the water spray!
The intense spray meant I only took two shots before putting my camera away, but, it was enough
After taking in the spectacular views we slowly made a comfortable return journey through the forest, enjoying a gentle cool breeze and the peaceful scenery all around us.
In all the walk took us just under an hour to complete. Having worked up an appetite, we then headed back to the village for a spot of lunch and a cold drink, and watched the cheeky kea playing in the street to the amusement of passing tourists.
