Arthur's Pass

After Christchurch we drove from the East coast of the South Island to the West coast though Arthur's pass. Though I've not done it, I figure this might be like driving through the Rockies in Canada. Absolutely beautiful with a tinge of fear for your life excitement! It was especially exciting because the rain was pouring down and we had to avoid a few minor slips (landslides)where parts of the mountain had fallen into the road. Apparently, ten years ago Arthur's pass was a really insane drive but they put in an aquaduct and straightened some of the road.

We stopped by the Department of Conservation's visitors centre to wait out part of the storm. They had a play/dress-up area and the kids liked the opportunity to break up the drive

It was awesome driving with the snow capped mountains on all sides.