Wanaka & Franz Joseph

---

Right then the next lap!

We arrived in Lake Wanaka late in the afternoon after travelling over the crown ranges, which is the highest main road route in New Zealand. As we had no where to stay, we set about organising that and found a nice motel with a short veranda very near to the centre. We chilled out for the evening after eating lacally with a bottle of wine in front of our room with the last of the evening sun and decided we would stay there another day. The next day we set off on a 3 hour round trip walk around the lake to Beacon Point and back. A great mornings exercise through parkland at the side of the vast lake Wanaka.
The following day and for the life of me I cannot remember which day it was we set off again on a long journey to the west coast and specifically to Franz Joseph Glacier via Fox Glacier. At Fox we again decided to get some exercise and took a detour to Lake Matteson. A small lake by New Zealand standards with a pleasant walk around it in about an hour.
Now Franz Joseph was the reason for travelling in this direction and specifically to take a guided walk onto the glacier.
The following day at 10:30 we assembled along with the others in our party from Korea, Scandinavia, Ireland others from the US and the UK and a lady from Ramsgate who has spent the last five months travelling through Africa and and a variety of countries to New Zealand. Incidentally her mother in law lives in Mill Road in Deal. Enough tittle tattle.

We set of on the bus for a 5 hour walk through a bush path and across a riverbed to the foot of the glacier. Oh I forgot to mention that we had to be kitted out with carrybags, leggins, coats and crampons. We arrived at the foot of the glacier and fitted the crampons and set of in single file onto the ice. The walk was obviously a well prepared path with steps cut into the ice and ropes fitted to hold onto where the ledge and drop was steep, however you had to be alert and make sure the crampons were in contact at all times. Very enjoyable and the colour of the ice was unbelievably deep blue in parts. The glacier is thousands of years old and is inevitably receeding, and I think the guide said that a snow flake that falls at the top takes 80 years to reach the bottom and turn to water.

Now we were perhaps the oldest in our group (it was a close call with two others) we more than held our own on a tiring trek, with some of the others notably the younger ones visibly dragging their legs at the end. Shrley was even able to drag her self beind one of the water falls to have a picture taken.

That evening we did exactly what we seem to have done every other evening, a good meal in a restaurant and a few beers. So there you go another great day.
Onward to Hokitika.

---

Comments

[Charl]

Love love love the pics! Well done for putting the youngsters to shame (worth a pint or two eh Dad?). So you stopped off at Lake Mattheson - did you like?! Hope so ....everywhere is like a postcard picture ...make sure you don't begin to get complacent! P.S. time to do some washing? Looking pretty sweaty in some of thos pics.. P.P.S Whilst I love the facts I am missing some of the humouir of teh earlier blogs!! Mwah ;0p xxxx

[marl]

love photos
Glad to hear you'v got to your next leg of your holiday ok. that glacier looked beauifull bet that was some trek. come on you two more photos please. John your pots will be ready to go in when you get home. [small reality check lol take carexx