FRANZ JOSEF IN THE MOUNTAINS

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An early start today to catch the Tranz Alpine railway trip through the mountains to Arthur’s Pass where our coach will pick us up. The train runs through Canterbury plains farmland but always climbing uphill and into the heart of the mighty Southern Alps. There are vast fields with herds of cows, flocks of sheep and even deer farms. We travel across towering viaducts, through spectacular gorges and river valleys and into the lush forest of Arthurs Pass National Park.

After reboarding our coach, we roll on through the snow capped mountains, and descend into the lush rainforests of Westland travelling south along the West Coast to Hokitika. At Hokitika, we have only 1 3/4 hr of free time. We head immediately to the beach to put our feet into the Tasman Sea. This has become a ritual for us to put our feet into every new big body of water we encounter. The Tasman Sea has dangerous undercurrents and even standing in the waves on the sand it is pulling hard on our legs. Wanting to at least look at the NZ jade jewellery we head back into the small town streets. The precious green stone comes from the mountains and is carved by Māoris into traditional shapes. As exquisite as it is, it is very pricey so unlikely I will purchase any. Lunch was Subway so we could hurry back to the bus without being late.

Departing Hokitika, we continue south through forests and farmland with views of the Alps to the east and the Tasman Sea to the west, arriving at Franz Josef about 4 pm. A drink in the bar and walk through the village and we are ready for a buffet dinner in the dining room of the hotel. We are surrounded by towering snow capped mountains.

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