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Published: November 21st 2022
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A day in the rain in the alpine rainforest. Even though there is a steady rain fall, we are all excited to be walking to the the view point for the Franz Josef glacier. We have an eco guide who is an excellent speaker & teacher about glaciologist, geology, geomorphology, flora and fauna, local legends and history. He points out interesting plants, tiny orchids and ferns. Even though this is a West Coast rainforest it is alpine so there are no exotic flowers but dainty little treasures on the forest floor.
New Zealand = ferns! Their national symbol is a fern frond. There must be millions of different types of ferns: dark green ferns, light green ferns, silver, ferns, yellow ferns, red ferns, maroon ferns, black ferns, brown ferns, tiny ferns, monster ferns, short ferns, tall tree ferns, ferns that look like a dog‘s tongue, ferns that look like stag horns, I’ve run out of adjectives but not the number of different ferns.
We trek off the path through the underbrush to the wide Waiho River bed where Cliff explains about the terrain of New Zealand and how the mountains are still being formed. NZ mountains are young and
still being pushed up by collision of the Australian plate and the NZ plate. The river bed is mostly rocks right now but a very heavy rain could quickly fill up the river bed and overflow the banks - which might be later today the way it is raining. They measure rain not in milimeters but in meters. This river bed and river flowing through it is coming directly from under the Franz Josef glacier.
After a steady trudge up a steep hill we come to the viewing station for the glacier which is off in the distance. When we were at the river bed the sun made a breakthrough and held until we had an exceptional viewing of the glacier with the sun on it. This glacier is unusual as it actually advances (sometimes as much as a kilometre) and retreats where most other glaciers in the world just retreat.
During our meander through the rainforest, Cliff points out tiny orchids; green hooded orchid and bamboo orchid. There is a brilliant red but tiny mushroom that is called stinkyhorn. It is very poisonous and Cliff says this is only the second one he has ever seen.
We walk to Peter’s Pond which is a glacial pond which was carved out by a glacier and filled with water when the glacier retreated. While there Cliff spots a Bell Bird - about the size of a crow but beautifully coloured and with a magnificent song. Because there is heavy rain today we won’t see many other birds - they are sheltering from the wet. Normally Peter’s Pond is a reflecting pool but because of the rain drops and the mist there is no reflection but still a beautiful spot.
Our afternoon is on our own time which I spent trying to dry out my clothes and rain coat - I was pretty much soaked through. We walked to the Wildlife Centre coffee shop for lunch where I had wild hare pie and chips. Tasted just like beef but I helped the ecology by ridding NZ of one more hare (which are obnoxious pests). A tour through the gift shop and then over to the grocery store for cheese & crackers to nibble on with our wine.
Dinner tonight will be another jaunt through the heavy rain to Blue Ice restaurant - wonderful food & even more
wonderful ice cream. The ice cream is sooooooo very creamy & smooth.
It is alternately down pouring rain and easing off slightly. I have never seen so much rain- I suspect the rivers will be roaring by tomorrow as the forecast is still rain for tomorrow.
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