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Published: June 10th 2008
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Guard Goat
I was sure this one was a lamb but he was apparently a guard goat at the Bushman Centre 27th May - 30th May - Franz Josef - Wanaka
Having woken up covered in bin bags at the Poo Pub we all managed to stumble onto the bus to continue our journey down the West Coast to Franz Josef. Our first pit stop has got to be the most interesting yet...the Bushman centre. Just outside Lake Mahinapua, the Bushman Centre is dedicated to showing people how people hunted traditionally and has to be one of the quirkiest museums I have been to. Bushman Pete, the owner, referred to the old days of hunting as 'When men were men, and sheep were scared'...A little disturbing! We spent a little time watching a video about how Deer have been captured over time in New Zealand with various methods of capture being shown. One of the most original was flying in with a man standing on the step of the helicopter and then at the moment he was above the running deer...he would jump! Supposedly he was meant to wrestle the deer to the ground but more often than not it would see him ending face down in the mud...hilarious! Then one member of our bus fed the resident pig before we
Quirky
Sign at the Bushman Centre all tucked into the infamous 'Headlight delight' Pie comprising of the days roadkill...Today it was Possom Pie which actually tasted really good!
As we continued towards Franz the snow capped mountains began to come into view. It was getting colder! Pam emphasized how great the weather was...perfect for a skydive, and with Franz Josef being the most scenic place available for it...we signed our names on the list! Arriving in Franz later that afternoon we couldn't wait to chuck ourselves out of a perfectly good plane at 12,000 feet! On the 25 minute journey out to the airfield the driver installed confidence by telling us we would be falling at 20 storeys a second. Very hard to imagine! On arrival we geared up, went though the banana pose we would replicate when jumping out of the plane and then watched the team slowly grow smaller as pairs went up in the plane...and didn't come back! Then it was mine and Jonathon's turn! Having met my instructor we were off! After a 25 minute scenic flight over the Franz glacier which, with the weather being as it was, was spectacular we checked the altitude...12,000 feet. It was high! Just before
The menu
A little bit different to your regular restaurant the door opened the pilot decided to test our stomachs and pull a nose dive. I have never felt so much G-Force in my life! Then we leveled out and the door opened! Jonathon was first out and it was slightly odd seeing my own brother jump out of a plane. Then just as we were ready to go my instructor advised he had just split with his girlfriend and was feeling mildly suicidal...I hoped he was joking! Then hanging out of the plane...we fell! Its an indescribable feeling free falling through the air at 200km an hour! Before I knew it the parachute was out and we were sailing silently to the ground. Again the views were spectacular! The adrenaline rush was amazing and after a few spins we hit the ground. Complete!
The next day we had a Glacier to climb! Having to start fairly early in the morning we made our way up the river basin to the base of the glacier with our guide, Donkey. Our group set off at a fast pace and after putting the crampons on our feet we began trekking it up the ice. Again, the weather was amazing and it
made for some great pictures as we ascended the glacier. We had a great group and after stopping for lunch made our way up to the highest point. Then on the descent as the sun was going down, we made our way through some tight crevasses before arriving at the plunge pool. With the water temperature at just 0.7 degrees, it was definitely going to wake me up. Ross and I decided to go for it and having pulled out the trunks we readied ourselves...and jumped! It felt like hot needles and after a few seconds we clambered out! It was definitely worth it! Coming down the glacier we soaked up the last of the daylight before heading back to the hostel for some time in the spa pool and some well earned pints in the cosy hostel bar. One of the best days of my gap year so far! We also met a guy who had skydived and hit a pigeon on freefall, breaking both his arms! An interesting fellow...keep your eyes peeled on YouTube for the video!
On Thursday we were off to Wanaka. The walk yesterday had definitely taken its toll on the legs this morning!
Signing the disclaimer
Signing his life away at the skydive On the way through we stopped off at the incredible Lake Matheson for some amazing pictures of the lake and reflections of Mount Cook and Mount Tazman in the water. Having done a circuit of the lake we were back on the bus driving past snow capped mountains and lakes. On arrival in Wanaka we checked into the hotel before going down to Lake Wanaka and watching the sun disappear behind the mountains in the distance. After a quiet night in we were up the next morning to go to Puzzling World - A place where everything is confusing? Having spent half an hour attempting a puzzle rated for ages 6+ I left feeling quite demoralized!
Finally, after completing the West Coast we were about to arrive in the adrenaline capital of the world...QUEENSTOWN!
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