We awoke and opened window number 6 on our advent calendar to reveal a christmas stocking. After brekky we hit the road and headed inland to cross the Great Alpine Highway back over to the west side of the country. The weather was gorgeous with a blue sky and just a few white clouds. The journey from Geraldine was on fairly straight roads which took us through flat farming country. The mountains were shimmering in the distance and as we got closer the road became progressively more twisty and winding. We stopped along the way at the Rakaia River and marvelled at just how blue the water was as it flowed quickly through the boulder and pebble strewn gorge. Not long after this the road became very steep as it climbed through Arthur's Pass and took us through the Southern Alps. The snow capped mountains looked spectacular and the sun cast a warming glow over the alpine landscape. It was a wild and dramatic place. The drivers on this road were absolutely atrocious. They were the usual tailgating aggressive ***** that continually put a damper on our experience of New Zealand. The tourist/traveller is treated with contempt in this country. This is a real shame and we will leave here with a bitter taste in our mouths. It shouldn't be like this. The Kiwis most definitely need a collective kick in the ****! About half way across the pass we came to Castle Hill. This is a very interesting place. The green hills were dotted with an imposing and impressive array of big limestone boulders. It was named because the rocks are reminiscent of an old run down stone castle. We had a walk up to the big rocks and took in the incredible view. The sun was casting a bright and warm glow over the rocks and the fields. It was beautiful here and the view to the surrounding mountains was breathtaking. The area had a warm atmosphere and felt quite spiritual. The grass was covered in lovely big daisies and this just added to the beauty of the place. We had some lunch and then headed further west over the pass through the town of Arthur's Pass and onto a little place called Jacksons where we intended to stay the night. The closer we got to Jacksons the cloudier it got and by the time we got there it was starting to spit rain. The camp site was in a valley with a view of the cloud covered hills and mountains. The lady on reception was very friendly and the camp site was lovely and clean and very well laid out. The camp kitchen and the ultra modern amenities are the best we have seen anywhere. There were even some cute and cheeky weka birds here who came by to visit us.The downside was that the camp site had a heavy energy and felt a bit spooky. We were being watched again but this time by something other worldly perhaps?! We were the only people on the site at first and so made made our tea in the camp kitchen before any 'european vacationers' arrived and took the place over. Literally just as we were leaving they did arrive armed with gallons of rancid oil! The spirits of the valley kept quiet but unfortunately some late arrivals nearby didn't as they treated us to a hokey cokey medley of side door slamming. We counted sixteen open/closing actions in the space of an hour! The rain chucked it down for most of the night.