Advertisement
Published: February 22nd 2008
Edit Blog Post
Comfy Chair
'Where's me pipe and slippers?' We spent a couple of days in Hokitika, a small town just south of Greymouth, staying at the Shining Star Holiday Park, a pleasant beach-side campsite with fancy log cabins and nicely landscaped grounds. They have a small farmlet there, home to some of Billy's cousins, a couple of sulky (bored?) alpacas, a few pigs, and several chickens let loose around the grounds, free to feed on whatever they can muster from the campervans. Oh, and not forgetting Moby (Steve's name for him), a huge St Bernard who dribbles everywhere and who would have one of those chicken if he could move fast enough.
In the evening, we had a look at the glow-worm dell across the road from the campsite. The larvae emit a bright light to attract insects which get caught in the sticky tendrils and become dinner. They look like little fairy lights in the trees.
Before we left Hokitika, we got a chance to look at a real-life kiwi bird in The National Kiwi Centre, where they keep captive kiwis as part of a breeding programme. We waited for about 10 minutes in the darkened mock kiwi habitat (kiwis are nocturnal apparently), waiting for one
Bridge for Vehicles AND Trains!
'...Now, who's got right of way do you reckon?...' to show, and as soon as the manager put some out some food, out popped what looked like hedgehog with a beak and long legs. He didn't seem that perturbed by the presence of onlookers, although I don't think kiwis can see very well. Kiwis seem to be more of a mammal that a bird; a strange mix of the two... I wonder if they put all the lights on in the night time to simulate daytime? Needless to say, we couldn't take photos as the bright lights would disturb them.
Next, we headed down south to Glacier Country, staying at the plastic-Tellytubby Land-come-supermarket-carpark Top 10 campsite at Franz Josef town, at the foot of the Franz Josef Glacier. Now, wouldn't you think that being this close to a glacier it would be blinking freezing here? It's actually strangely mild, warm even, with tropical bush all around.
What's all this fuss about a lump of ice anyway? To answer this question, we decided to go on one of the Glacier treks, the 'Half Day Glacier Experience' with Franz Josef Glacier Guides. Fortunately, we didn't have to attempt the glacier walk in our Crocs as adequate clothing, boots and
Chicken Tonight
'You see, Girls, my wife just doesn't understand me. I only want one Bell Jet Ranger, that's all.' crampons are provided.
After changing into the gear at the centre, we were herded onto the bus with the other 40 odd people for the short journey to the start of the walk. I managed the rough river and bush walk, traversed the slippery gullies holding onto the rope and chains, and ascended and descended the ladders put in place by the guides, but the old knee problem started up just as we were about to put on our crampons and climb up the ice steps.
I knew it would be foolish to attempt the climb up the ice and risk getting stuck up there, with evacuation by helicopter costing $5000. So, unfortunately, dodgy knee-itus stopped play. We made our way back with one of the guides, who told us all about his near-death experience a year ago today, when he contracted a flesh-eating bacteria from a pool cue that went through his body during a drunken prank that went wrong >:-O
Managed to get some tidy photos of the 'lump of ice' while we were waiting for the guide to collect us on his return. And to think, Victorian ladies in their long skirts and whale-bone
corsets used to walk these glaciers...
Advertisement
Tot: 0.097s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 10; qc: 48; dbt: 0.0653s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb