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Published: April 1st 2008
Pancake Rocks...
Pass me the maple syrupAs we made our way down the west coast the first thing we came across was the Pancake Rocks, these were rocks that had layered very thinly on top of each other that looked like guess what...pancakes!! They were really cool and the sea around them was very rough that water kept blowing up through blow holes, which was quite a sight too.
Next on the agenda were the glaciers; Franz Josef and Fox. When we got to Franz Josef town we decided to investigate the helicopter flights over the top of the two glaciers, we were planning on doing one the next day but the sun was shining and there was a chance of getting one that afternoon. The first company we went into had a flight we could go on in the next 5 minutes - excellent we thought until we found we could only fly over 1 of the glaciers instead of the 2. Not being deterred we went for it - as it is a trip in a helicopter after all!! We grabbed a few warmer bits of clothing, particulary shoes and socks instead of flip flops and then made our way to the helicopter. It
was just Steve and I in the helicopter, I was sandwiched between Steve and the pilot and there was little room for anything else. My first thought was that if the helicopter crashed I would die, as the whole front was glass and not much more for protection! Still I was in and the helicopter began to lift before I could change my mind! It was excellent, both Steve and I really enjoyed the ride, the helicopter moved so quickly and gave us a great view of the glacier. It swooped up and over the mountains that at one point I was trying to grab hold of something to stop me falling forwards - it was like a roller coaster ride. We were able to see the crevices in the ice and the blueness of it, we would both love to do it again. We didnt get to land on the glacier and take photos as the cloud was too thick but we were not worried as it meant we got a fifty dollar refund each which we could put towards another activity!!
The following day we walked to the terminal faces of both glaciers and did another one
through the forest which looked down on the glacier - we took lots of photos and can bore you with them when we get back! Leaving the glaciers behind us, just before the rain set in we stopped off at Lake Matheson. This is a huge lake with a walkway giving you superb views of the southern alps and crystal clear reflections of the sky. Unfortunately it was a bit cloudy, but the lake was impressive nonetheless.
Moving South we drove to Wanaka, which is a lovely town on the edge of Wanaka lake. Here we did a walk along the Rob Roy Valley in Mt. Aspiring National Park. It was another beautiful day without a cloud in the sky, so I got my legs out to make the most of the sun!! The walk went across a swing bridge, then up through a forest until we came to a clearing with a view of the Rob Roy glacier - fantastic. The next day we went on a bike ride around the edge of the lake for a couple of hours and my bum cheeks are still aching!!
We are now in Glenorchy which is just outside Queenstown,
Random lakes
Crystal clear reflections in Lake Rotarua we have had a lazy day today as the weather has been raining on and off but tomorrow we are being active again on another walk! We will be attempting a day walk on the Routeburn track - a famous walk in NZ.
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