UFO - Unidentified Flying OAP (I have had permission for the title!)

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Last day in Queenstown and what do we do, well we set off early and head out to the Kawarau bungy jump of course. Now to set the scene Baz has been threatening to do one since arriving in Queenstown but then he got a few back twinges, a wife who wasn't overjoyed at the prospect of scraping him off the canyon floor and I have a sneaking suspicion that there was a fair bit of coleywobbles going on!! Anyway he was up bright and early and said I'm going to do it so after paying a visit to the old loo 5 times off we went. We knew where we were going as we had called in the day before to check it out and Baz actually put the I'm a chicken t-shirt on, perhaps that's what did it. He checked in, paid over his money and was then told that there was a queue and that he couldn't jump for 1.5 hrs. We were counting down the clock, lots of pacing, meaningless conversations, back slapping, trips to the loo, tummy butterflies and much butt clenching and then there was no going back. He was sat in the little hut having his legs attached to a rubber band and the guys were all really good and encouraging. Then it was a shuffle to the edge, a quick wave to the official cameras and me who was filming the momentous event and then very gracefully he dived off the platform. He was very brave and afterwards when he had got his breath back he couldn't say he enjoyed the experience but felt a great sense of satisfaction at having conquered and survived. He got the t-shirt and certificate which reads "Barry Bennett who has just faced his fear and embraced a feeling of euphoria by bungy jumping from the Kawarau Bridge, the worlds first bungy site, with the aid of a latex bungy cord, a tool of confidence, this person has conquered a feat that deems him no longer just an average Joe". Of course this I already know but way to go Bazzi, you rock!!!

Moving on day and we are heading up to Franz Josef. It's quite a long drive, around five hours and the way we have to keep stopping for photo stops makes it about 6/7 hours. The drive over the Alpine Way, along Lake Hawea and then through the Haast Pass was just sublime. We stopped several times and did short walks to waterfalls and view points. We left Queenstown in brilliant sunshine and had it for most of the day but as soon as we got near Glacier country the cloud was so low that it made visibility almost impossible. If there were any mountains around us we didn't know about them!! We arrived in the town of Franz Josef named after the glacier, unpacked and pootled off to have a meal. We were feelin a bit disappointed with the weather and when I went to bed I had a quiet word with the big guy up above and asked him to send us a bit of sunshine whilst we did our sightseeing!!

Hooray the big guy came through. Blue skies and yes we have mountain views out of our windows and yes they are full of snow, yippee! Up and out by 8.45am, this is a bit early for us we are not usually that organised. First stop the Franz Josef glacier, parked up and then we hiked up to the base of the glacier. You are not allowed to get very close, but it was near enough to be overawed by it's size and the raw beauty of it. Apparently you used to be able to climb up the side of the glacier but now the only safe way to access the glacier is to be dropped off in a helicopter and do what they call a heli-hike. This is big business and just in the two minutes that we took a quick video we spotted 6 flying around. The views of the mountains were terrific but no time to waste, we had a plan. Next stop was Lake Matheson where there is a nice cafe, so after a quick coffee it was a power walk around the Lake. you are supposed to be able to see Mt Cook reflected in the water but unfortunately we could only see cloud as the weather was beginning to go off. Quick banana butty for lunch (boy we know how to live!) and then off again, this time it was the Fox Glacier. It is 21km away and the drive today was good because we actually got to see the scenery! Parked up and started the hike up to the glacier. This was tougher than the earlier walk and really quite steep. You had to keep crossing streams of glacier water which were as clear as it is possible to be, there are waterfalls cascading down the sides of the cliffs and it's just immense to think that you are standing in a spot that not that long ago was covered in hundreds of feet of ice. You walk upto the glacier down a long canyon and you can see all the ridges and grooves on the cliff walls that have been made by the ice flow. Mother Nature is incredible and we feel very privileged to have been able to see them, awesome!

Moving on again today and we are off to stay in a place called Carters Beach which is 5 minutes drive from Westport. On route we stopped off at Hokitia Gorge and then popped into town for coffee. We walked through the forests until we reached the swing bridge over the river, nice little walk but the sand flies were in the hundreds and as soon as we opened the car doors they were in. Spoilt the walk as we were paranoid about being bitten, it really hurts and itches for at least three days. Why were these pests created?? The town is basically one street and the shops are either junk shops or jewellery shops, mainly the latter selling jade. Not much of a town to look at but it was at a good point to stop for refreshments. Onto Pukanaki to see the Pancake Rocks. These were fantastic, very rugged coastline and they look as though they have been handmade, some are chimney shaped and you have to go at high tide so that the sea comes rushing in and they act like blow holes spouting sea water. Apparently scientists don't know how or why they are like this but a great little stop over. Next we went to Cape Foulwind which is a lighthouse walkway and seal colony. This was not a very exciting stop however I think the grey skies and low cloud has something to do with our mood. Onto Carters Beach and our accommodation is really lovely, it overlooks the beach however the sea is not very appealing today, maybe a dip tomorrow as the weather is due to improve.

Arrived in Motueka and are here for two nights, nice accomodation again, we are dead jammy at the moment! Out exploring and I have my schedule handy again, planned the route and tick places off as we go round. The weather has started off lovely this morning so fingers crossed it will follow us. Firstly our drive takes us over Takaka Hill which is huge, it's lots of hairpin bends and seems to go on forever but the views from the top are spectacular, you can see all the mountains, one of which is actually called Ben Nevis right over to the ocean and to the very tip of the South Island which is called Farwell Spit. Onto see the Pu Pu Springs which is a natural spring lake and it's amazingly clear, you can see upto 67 metres down and the colours are fantastic. It made us want to snorkel in it, it was so beautiful. People used to swim in it until 2007 and then they closed it off, now unfortunately they are just for viewing. Back on the road and a quick coffee stop in Collingwood then onto the farthest point, Farewell Spit, don't know why it is named this but we walked part way down the beach, bit blowy but it was more like a bird sanctuary, apart from the usual seagulls, there were arctic terns, sandpipers and hundreds of black swans. Good walk and then off again, Wharariki Beach is our last stop of the day. Parked up and walked to the beach which was a really lovely walk, over the tops and through lush green fields. We arrived at the beach and wow we were nearly blown off our feet. The wind rushing up the beach was unbelievable. The view of the waves crashing was awesome and the sand dunes on the beach were like mountains. I was expecting Lawrence of Arabia to come riding through on a camel!! The wind was so strong it was an effort to stand up but the dramatic scene in front of us was well worth it. When we got back to the car we were covered in sand and we were even crunching it between our teeth. God knows how much will be washed off in the shower tonight. Definitely been sand blasted today, hoping it acts like an extreme facial and I will look 10 years younger!,! Well we managed to get all our sightseeing done without getting wet, we were so lucky as we have had several downpours today. The sun shines on the righteous!!!

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