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Published: August 24th 2010
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When I decided to write a blog so everyone could see what I have been up to was a good idea, I didn't realise how difficult it was going to be to keep up! Its been pretty non stop these past couple of weeks but now that I am at my last destination, things have slowed down and I am in a hostel with two computers, with free internet in my room! Now I shall attempt to make up for the time I have missed. Here goes!
When I last checked in I was leaving from Westport to head for a small hotel right by Lake Mahiniapua. This particular hotel is owned and run by a man named Les who is apparently New Zealand's oldest publican and has housed Kiwi Experience travellers for over 20 years now! We journey along state highway 6 and make a breakfast stop at Punakaiki which translates as the Pancake Rocks. As you might imagine, the rocks look like a stack of pancakes, which is pretty cool. After some photos we continue along the highway and are given an explanation as to what will be happening once we arrive at Lake Mahiniapua. Basically every bus that
comes through has a themed party named 'The Poo Party' (Poo being short for Mahiniapua obviously) and the whole bus votes on what theme it is before heading into a town called Greymouth to grab supplies from the various dress up shops and warehouse stores they have. Our bus had an equal split between superheroes and villains, and american frat party. So we decided to do a joint theme to save things getting messy. After much deliberation Kish, Paul and I decide to attempt Transformers costumes and go on a hunt for cardboard boxes, metal-looking things and spray paint. With supplies in hand, we cruise on to Lake Mahiniapua Hotel where 82 year old Les Lisle greets us on the bus and tells us about the epic BBQ meal he will be preparing while we check out the Lake and get our costumes ready. Unfortunately for us, there was no time for Lake Mahiniapua as making Transformers costumes was not as easy as we first thought and we only just made it in time for dinner. The meal was pretty incredible to be honest, especially Les's venison stew! Despite the (3 and half hours) time it took to put together
or costumes, the party ended up being a lot of fun and everyone had made a pretty decent effort with their costumes though I doubt none of the others found it as difficult as we did to dance and drink! To top the night off, the three of us were voted the best costumes! And we received a free Canyon Swing in Queenstown which we would be doing in the next few days.
The next morning, tired, hungover and covered in spray paint, we fight our way through the sea of cardboard on our dorm floor and get on the bus to our next destination. We stop for some breakfast at The Bushman Centre in Pukekura which displays the development of hunting and cattle ranching. Not the first place I would think to go after a heavy night but it was a pretty amusing sight containing some interesting signs which included 'Any unaccompanied children will be sold as slaves'. Hmm. This area is also the heart of possum killing country and many people actively encourage swerving in front of a possum as they have become some what of a menace in New Zealand, consuming thousand and thousand of tonnes
of vegetation each year, too quick for some of it to grow back. We leave Pukekura and head for our next stop at Franz Joseph where we get a first hand view of some really stunning sights out of our bus window. On both sides huge snow-capped mountains tower over the bus and glacier carved lakes open out in front of us as we enter into the Tai Poutini National Park. On arrival in Franz Joseph we book onto a full day glacial walk and check into a sweet hostel surrounded by snowy mountains and interestingly, temperate rainforest. Since most of us are still working off the hangover from the Poo Party we decide to chill the rest of the day before heading to the nearby bar for a drink and a 30 odd person killer pool tournament in which I managed to come second by potting the frickin black ball! Bad times.
The next day is an early start for the glacial walk which I am extremely excited about (probably the A level geographer in me trying to get out). We grab all our gear and head out to the drop off point where we walk along a U-shaped
valley carved out by the glacier until we reach the base of the glacier itself. From what our guide Alex was saying, the glacier has retreated a fair few kilometres in the past hundred years and I am left wondering how much man has added to its retreat. Global warming aside, the site of the glacier is extremely impressive and indescribably huge, requiring a good few days climb to reach the very top. Once at the base of the ice we attach cramp-ons to our shoes and climb up the glacier, weaving in and out of giant crevasses and through incredible ice formations that glow a bright blue colour in the sun. We are joined on our journey by a Kea bird which is an alpine parrot found in these areas which apparently has the intelligence level of a 4-6 year old and can be extremely mischievous, stealing peoples lunches and even ripping into peoples cars! Oh, they are also quite the posers. Soon we reach the half way point up the glacier and have the opportunity to look back down on the breathtaking view of the glacier and its river, with mountains on either side and rainforest creeping down
them. This glacier is one of only 3 in the world to end in a temperate rainforest, where there are over 5000 glaciers worldwide. Cool fact aye? An even better one was about an earthquake that is overdue to hit Franz Joseph directly under the petrol station and is supposed to measure 8.5 on the Richter Scale... fortunately we were all too busy trying to squeeze through tiny ice tunnels within the glacier to be bothered about an earthquake. Tired and kinda damp from the ice, we head back to Franz Joseph for a relaxing evening in the hot pools over the road from our hotel where you could choose from 3 large pools set at 34, 36 and 38'C. Perfect way to end a once in a life time day.
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Kerry - Marketing Franz Josef
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Love the blog Ollie! Glad you enjoyed your time with us in Franz Josef! Kerry