Advertisement
Published: August 20th 2008
Edit Blog Post
Us On Ice
a bit like those icey versions of Disney films Another good thing about New Zealand: long buses stop every hour and a half or so for 'comfort breaks', and if there is something interesting to see nearby, they give you a few extra minutes to go check it out. On our 9 hour bus marathon from Nelson down to Franz Josef (we're missing coche cama!) we got to stop off to see the Pancake Rocks - crazy rock formations on the coast. Far more picturesque than South Mimms service station. The rocks get their names from the fact that they are in layers and look like piles of pancakes. They formed under the sea, but are apparently a mystery to geologists who have no idea why the layers formed.
We arrived in Franz Josef town, home of the more famous glacier of the same name, just as the sunset was turning the snowy mountaintops pink...aaaahhhh, lovely. Our chosen abode had run out of double rooms, but not to fear, they gave us one of their motel units for very cheap instead - own bathroom, own kitchen, own TV!!! luxury. Unfortunately, a giant weta bug also thought so, and hid in Si's shoe overnight, giving him a nasty nip in
the morning...have a look at this fella -
ugly biting bug Cue mild panic as it scuttled under another shoe before we saw what it was, and we tried to remember whether NZ has any poisonous spiders! I managed to catch it in a glass and take it to the receptionist for species identification, making sure Si didn't get a good look at it. yuck!
The day improved rapidly at 10.15 when we headed off for our Franz Josef Glacier trip. Having already done a glacier walk in Patagonia, we decided we wanted to do something a bit different this time. Neither of us has ever been in a helicopter, and both fancied it, so when we saw that there were trips to fly you straight up to the top of the glacier and deposit you there for an ice walk, we decided to scrape the bottom of the budgetary barrel and give it a go.
The glacier is one of only three 'warm' glaciers in the world...that is because it ends just above sea level. (The others being the Fox glacier, just down the road, and Perito Moreno in Argentine Patagonia which we visited back in February). It is
12km long, and is also one of the few glaciers in the world that is still growing, due to heavy snowfall in the area.
The helicopter took off from a helipad just at the edge of the village. From there we swooped up to the bottom of the glacier, getting amazing views of the town, the Tasman sea, and the glacier itself. Then we headed up over the mountains to the side of the glacier, our pilot executing what is apparently his trademark manoeuvre, a skimming over the top of one of the peaks followed by diving down on the other side...bit like going in a rollercoaster! My only complaint was that the flight didn't last long enough...it was wicked fun.
After landing we got togged up with crampons and headed upstream with our very outdoorsy guide, who was clad in shorts and armed with a giant ice axe. The glacier is magical, blue ice, tunnels, crevasses, and surrounded by snowcapped mountains on every side. Highlights of the trek included sliding through an icy tunnel and squeezing through a tiny gap between two walls of ice (nearly got stuck! good job ice is slippery). And the helicopter ride
Another angle
Look closely and you can see the whir of the blade in the top left home was just as good as the outgoing one! We finished off the day with a run/walk up a local hiking trail, and a few pints of dark beer and a hearty meal in a local pub.
Next stop was Queenstown, a lakeside town in the far south of the south island. We didn't have too much planned for here except to relax and enjoy the town, which had been recommended to us by lots of different people. We explored the lakeside trails, had (indifferent!) haircuts, and admired the view. I also managed to persuade Si to have a go at skiing in the local resort of Cardrona. We picked a very cold and snowy day for it, but both loved it and only managed to fall over three times between us! unfortunately there is no photographic evidence, but given how lovely our hired ski outfits were, i think this is for the best.
A series of three Qantas flights await us to get to our next destination...Melbourne, Australia, our penultimate country of the trip.
Hope you are all well! bye for now
Nat xxx
Advertisement
Tot: 0.174s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 24; qc: 85; dbt: 0.0901s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb