Plan B.......


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Oceania » New Zealand
November 10th 2016
Published: November 10th 2016
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Arrived at Frans Josef as a typical new zealand shower had just started.... they usually last no longer than half an hour then clear with amazing speed. Our plan was to explore Frans Josef and Fox Glacier the following day then head further south through Haast and on to Queenstown.
We could just make out the surrounding mountains as we settled Richard into his overnight spot.... but clouds were descending rapidly. The rain continued all evening, and all night long.... culminating in a thunder storm in the early hours..... which rumbled around for about three hours..... and the rain increased! Waterproofs were rapidly soaked, water was almost ankle deep around the camp site..... thank God we weren't camping!
So, setting off in heavy rain towards Haast ... we got as far as Fox Glacier, a pretty little town with endless signs for sightseeing plane and helicopter trips.... to find a roadside matrix sign stating "road closed. More information at 12pm", at this point it was a little after 9am. The local information centre advised us a section of the road was flooded, culvert damaged and it had originally been closed on Sunday, but if the rain continued it would be unlikely to open. Not a problem you might think...... but in nz there are rarely a local alternative routes.... the alternative would be retracing our steps by about 3 hours driving and then taking the alternative route across Arthur's Pass.
We debated staying in the area, but the forecast was for more rain..... so Plan B won.... back to retrace our steps, but through many locally flooded roads along the way.
So we are now back on the east coast, just north of Dunedin. ... heading towards the Catlins, renowned for its wildlife. Picture is of the beach two mins from our campsite.... yet another endless sandy, beautiful beach. You must all be getting bored of these pics?

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11th November 2016

Rain
It sounds great fun, if a little wet! Love the pictures. X
13th November 2016

loving the updates
What an adventure.......

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