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Published: February 1st 2008
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I left Christchurch and got a bus to Greymouth before changing to go to Franz Josef. Coach travel in New Zealand is really good, you get to stop often and they usually stop at places of interest for you to have a look and take a photo. On my way to Franz we drove through some really memorable scenery and we got to stop in a town called Hokitika. We stopped here for an hour so I had a quick look around their eco centre. Here I got to see my first glimpse of a kiwi although it was really dark because they don't like the light. I arrived in Franz Josef on the evening and I had explored the whole town within thirty minutes. The town only really has a handful of shops hostels and tourist agencies but it is an amazing place as it has the glacier sitting in the background.
I had booked a helicopter hike on the glacier for my only full day in Franz. When I turned up to the office where they run the hikes I was told it was cancelled due to the weather conditions but they could put me on to the
later hike on the hope the weather would improve. I then came back later to be told that again the hike was cancelled. I was absolutely distraught but I knew that it was a gamble when I booked it, my only option now was to go on a shuttle bus just to see the glacier from the bottom. But at the last minute, as my refund was going through, I was told that the company next door was going ahead with their heli-hike and they had one space left. I jumped for joy and within minutes I was by the helicopter port getting suited and booted for the hike. There was a group of about 20 people and we were split into 4 groups to go up in the helicopter to the top of the glacier one group at a time. Getting into the helicopter you realise just how loud these things are, I was deafened before I managed to get my headphones on. The helicopter was brilliant, it was fast and the pilot seemed to have amazing control and manouverability. We flew towards the glacier along the side of a mountain and past a tall waterfall. The view of
the glacier from above was unbelievable and we flew right to the top and over huge towers of ice before heading back down a bit to the ledge where we would do our hike. We put on our crampons while we waited for the rest of the group to be flown up. Looking around, I was lost for words and all I could say to people was 'this is amazing' with my mouth wide open. The ice looked white on the surface but it had a bright blue luminescence, which made you feel like you were on another planet. We split into two groups with a guide each and headed on a two hour hike round a small section of the glacier. Our guide walked ahead making steps in the ice with an ice pick. We walked through crevasses in the ice and walked past many seemingly bottomless holes into the ice. We got to go into an ice cave which was bright blue inside. Near the end of our hike we stopped by the strip of dirty ice which runs all the way down the glacier. This was made as a result of an eruption due to pressure under
the ice. Our guide also told us how the Franz Josef glacier moves forward around 5 metres a day, which is unbelievable considering most glaciers are receding. I reluctantly got back on the helicopter and we flew back to the town. The heli-hike was quite expensive but worth every penny as the glacier is one of the most amazing places I have ever seen. The only downside is that it feels like you have hardly anytime on the ice. I spent the evening chilling out in the hostel and talking to my roomates. One was a Korean called Chris who showed me loads of magic tricks. Some of his card tricks were mind boggling and at one point he just pulled half a deck of cards out of his mouth seemingly out of nowhere!
I didn't really want to leave Franz Josef but I had to get on my coach to take me to Nelson, where I would stop for a night before heading to Taupo. On the way to Nelson we stopped at a road cafe, which had a huge sandfly hanging outside. The cafe was famous for selling Possum pies and even the seats were all covered
in possum hides. I tried a possum pie and it tasted a lot like chicken but looked a lot darker than chicken. Later in the journey we stopped at a place where we had time to do a coastal walk which takes you past some views of weird rock formations. At one point there is a big arch of rock where the sea comes rushing in to fill up a pool every minute or so.
I got to Nelson late in the evening so didn't get to see much of the place. I was back on the road again in the morning heading towards Picton. Picton is a really nice little place and it is the port for the inter island ferries. I got on a ferry from Picton to Wellington which took about three hours. The ferry was massive, I spent most of the ferry in the pub having a beer and watching the football. I also had my first roast dinner in I don't know how long. The New Zealand lamb was class and tasted like kebab meat but without the grease. In Wellington I got on another coach and ended up in Taupo in the middle
of the night. I had to miss Wellington out because the rugby sevens tournament meant I could not get accomodation.
I am now in Taupo, which is home of lake Taupo which is the largest lake in New Zealand and was formed by volcanic eruption. I slept most of the morning having got in so late. In the afternoon I had a walk round a small part of the lake and explored the town. I also went in the Taupo museum, which is fairly small but has some cool Mauri stuff and even an exhibit on the largest fish caught in lake Taupo. There isn't much to do here without splashing the cash and a lot of it I have done already during my trip. Tomorrow I am going to go to a Mauri village, which should be cool.
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