Ian climbing through holes in the ice

Maverick and Goose do Franz Josef

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January 11th 2009
We were up at the crack of dawn again and off on the bus again, this time to the Franz Josef glacier along the west coast of the South island. On the way we stopped off at the Ross Goldfields for a spot of gold panning. We didn’t do that as it cost precious New Zealand Dollars although the highlight was definitely the boring old lady telling us all about it, kind of. On describing the gold pan ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Franz Josef

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The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year... ... read more