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Published: March 13th 2010
Blue Pools
Enjoying the sunshineAfter a lovely day of R&R in Wanaka, we headed off to Franz Joseph the following morning. The sun was still shining - which is always a good start but we were expecting to get some wet weather once we arrived. Or at least that is what we have heard from fellow travellers.
It was quite a scenic drive winding through the mountains and valleys. We stopped part way through the journey to have a look at the Blue Pools (river formed from the glaciers) which were indeed blue and quite pretty. The journey took over 4 hours, as the roads were quite windy and we were pleased to finally get there (and out the car).
Our campsite was in a perfect setting, with mountains all around - well we only really saw them on our last day when the clouds cleared slightly. After setting up our tent, we decided to take a drive to the Franz Joseph Glacier - which is located about 4km inland from town. Franz Joseph and Fox Glacier are unique in their closeness to the sea (about 200m above sea level) plus they are still advancing - Franz Joseph can advance between 1m-5m a
day!! This is due to all the rain and snow on this side of the Southern Alps.
We were amazed by the sight of the Franz Joseph glacier despite it being partly obscured by the low cloud. We walked right to the terminal face (you could do a guided tour onto the glacier - for a fee) and were struck by its size and the destruction/impact it can cause on its surroundings.
We had 2 full days in Franz Joseph, in hope that we might have one good day to view the glacier and mountains. The following day we decided to visit Fox Glacier, which is 20km south of Franz Joseph, the weather was still overcast, but we were hopeful. We first walked around Lake Matheson (on a good day you can get a clear reflection of Mount Cook) but not today - not only was it cloudy but there was also a slight breeze. But it was still a lovely walk and we were happy with the views we saw. Then we walked to Fox Glacier, it is just as amazing to see as Franz Joseph, but still not post card material!! Afterwards we had lunch and
then made our way to Okarito beach - we had heard it was worth visiting. It was a bit blustery and the sea was quite rough - not a good swimming beach, but it was different to any beach we had seen. The water had the turquoise/grey colour from the glaciers and we enjoyed our time exploring. We walked to the river mouth where the turquoise river met the sea which was a lovely contrast of colours.
It rained the next morning, but fortunately cleared by mid-morning, giving us our first good view of Franz Joseph Glacier and the mountains - what a view. We decided to be a bit daring and do a longer walk along the valley walls. All was going well until we came across our first swing bridge (did i mention that i do NOT like swing bridges?) After plucking up the courage to cross, we carried on along the path which was becoming increasingly steeper and tougher. We then met our second swing bridge (yikes), which was less secure and thus wobbled more than the last one (not good) but we both made it across. We carried on with our walk until the rain
Franz Josef Glacier
The day we arrived. started to come down - we had seen how quickly the rivers swell when it rains, so we decided it was best to turn around. We do not know what the view would have been at the end of the walk, but we were happy with our decision as the rocks were becoming slippery in the rain. We were quite tired after our trek and we were rewarded with our best view yet of the glacier. We made one last climb to Sentinel Point to get the best view of the glacier and mountains. Well it was definitely worth staying the extra day to see this sight.
We have changed our route slightly over the next few days. We are no longer going to Kaikoura, but instead straight to Abel Tasman (with a possible stopover in Murchison just to break the journey), and from Abel Tasman to Blenheim. I cannot believe that we are halfway through our trip, and just 2 weeks left in New Zealand.
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Hayley Bruton
non-member comment
Jealous!
Hey guys..saw Caryn and Graham last night at Pitlochry 40th anniversary and Caryn and I agreed that you are torturing us with all your travel blogs and she can barely keep up!! hee hee..only joking LOVE to hear and see whats happening there...