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The West Coast. A long narrow strip of land running between the Tasman Sea and the Southern Alps. This is a wild remote region. A rugged land. A multitude of waterfalls and fast flowing streams. Along the one main north/south route are small towns, distinguished by friendly communities whose way of life reflects their 'frontier' environment.
Along to the way to the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, we will visit Greymouth - Pancake Rocks, Hokitika (hopefully to pick up some Jade for future jewellery projects) and Ross.
Our stopover in Greymouth was really nice and we lucked into a great little motel - complete with a jacuzzi in the bathroom - and all for the price of a hotel on the South West Coast in England!
After enduring torrential rain for a couple of days, we were ecstatic to awake to a beautiful blue sky and sunshine. We knew it wouldn't take us too long to drive from Greymouth to Franz Joseph Glacier, so we spent a good portion of the morning in Greymouth - having the first 4 films developed - among other things.
We took a scenic route around Lake Brunner on our way to the glacier and took plenty of pictures of the lake with the Southern Alps in the background. We also found some birds called pukeko to photograph. We can't begin to explain them, but they are another of New Zealand's flightless birds. Watch for a picture of them upon our return to England.
We had our lunch on the shore of the Tasman Sea at Hokitika and even got our feet wet there. It was far too cold to get anything more than that wet!
One big reason for making the stop in Hokitika, was to acquire some finished, as well as unfinished pieces of jade (or greenstone, as it is also known in the area), and that part of our stop was very successful. The Maori do some incredible carving in bone, wood and jade and it has been difficult not to go overboard, although the price on the really exceptional pieces has been most prohibitive.
From Hokitika we drove on to Franz Josef, with only a stop or two for photos and rest. The approach road to the glacier offered up some spectacular views and we made sure to photograph as many different angles as we could.
The Fox and Franz Josef glaciers edge down towards temperate rain forests until they break up and melt. What makes them so special is their accessibility. Most of the world's great glaciers are in extreme, hostile environments. Here you can see them by helicopter, or actually walk on them with an experienced guide.
Our B&B accommodation is actually a country stay this time, with a private ensuite room in the only house for a couple of miles radius. Our hosts are Alex, who flies his own tour planes over the glaciers, and Suzy, who has given us lots of information on walks, sites and things to do in the area.
We are hoping to do a walk at Fox Glacier tomorrow morning. We had intended to walk Franz Josef, but conditions sound appalling - lots of rock slides and problems with melt water. Fox is supposed to be better, with the guides coming highly recommended by Alex. We are also hoping to get some nice views from a couple of short walks near the B&B should the weather turn out as spectacular as today.
Tonight we shall retire to a chorus of Australian singing frogs, possums and miscellaneous wild birds.
Finally for today, a quick note on our attempts at publishing this web site. Our schedule seems to have changed a bit from what we published before we left, and it's too difficult to try and rectify all of that on the pages. So, please ignore any errors you find, and we will do our best to keep all of the links working correctly.
Franz Josef Glacier Heli-Hike
We woke to find thick cloud and mist, but within an hour it had burned off and we had a superb view of the glacier while we were eating breakfast. Having discussed conditions at both glaciers with our hosts, we decided that just walking up from the bottom probably would not be too spectacular, so we decided to splash out on a heli-hiking trip.
We had a couple of hours to kill so we drove up the Franz Josef Glacier approach road, and did a couple of short walks and managed to get some very spectacular photos, including the glacier reflected in a small pond called Peter's Pool. Then we headed into town to the Heli-Hiking office and were kitted out with large, heavy hob-nailed boots and given various safety instructions before crossing the road to the helipad.
We were amongst the first six to get whisked up to the glacier, there being approximately 20 people altogether. The pilot climbed quite high above the ice so we got a terrific view of the glacier, and then he did some fast banked turns while losing height so we flew really close to some of the massive crevasses. We suddenly spotted a little group of people waiting on an incredibly rough part of the glacier and realised that we were going to land there and that they were an earlier group waiting to return.
Once all of the party had arrived, we were split into two groups, the 'lunatics' and the 'cruisers' with us being in the latter group. Our guide was Dave and he kept us amused all the way with his threats of throwing trouble makers into a crevasse. We were taught how to use an ice-axe and off we set. The first few steps were somewhat tentative but we soon learned that the hob-nails really had very good grip and the ice-axes were a great help.
After some initial 'easy stuff', we started climbing through crevasses, we found an ice-cave which some of us climbed into, and generally scrambled about on the glacier. Some of the going was a real challenge to those people who are not too happy about heights, but thanks to lots of help and encouragement from Dave, everyone managed the route. We were getting near the end of the 2 hour hike when a call came in on Dave's radio advising him that the cloud which was rising up the valley was going to become a problem, so we headed straight back to the landing point ready for an 'early extraction'! In fact we only finished about 10 minutes early, and when we got back down you could easily identify anyone who had done the hike by the huge grins on their faces.
So we've been there, done that and we've even got the T-shirts!
It's been all go up to now so we're going to take it easy for the rest of the day. If the cloud lifts, we may just drive down to take a look at Fox Glacier, which is only about 15 minutes, drive away.
As you can see, this wasn't exactly the day we had planned yesterday, but we really had a FANTASTIC time and feel it was worth every penny! We really have been lucky with the weather today and feel we have had yet another experience of a lifetime...as if just getting the chance to visit New Zealand wasn't enough.
We have been meeting and chatting with lots of other visitors from Canada, the US and Britain and have been hearing how big a part weather has played - both positive and negative - and we've also been hearing how great things look for the rest of our trip should the weather co-operate, as many people have already done things we have planned.
Well, the cloud didn't lift completely, but the day was still so glorious that we just had to head for Fox Glacier. We were advised by our very helpful hosts that it is well worth going to Lake Matheson because it is often as smooth as glass and reflects Fox Glacier. It wasn't quite that smooth while we were there and the glacier was mostly obscured by cloud, but even so, we were treated to yet more breathtaking views. We were also thrilled when we had some really close up views of a tomtit, a fantail and a rifleman. Unfortunately we didn't quite manage to photograph them - the forest is so thick that they were hidden as soon as they moved more than a few feet away. We spent about 2 hours walking right round the lake, and I nearly forgot to say that we also saw an eel swimming in the lake!
It's been a long and tiring day, but it has been filled with unforgettable experiences. It's been a couple of days since we published anything, but you can see that we've been very busy. Alex has said I can use their fax line in the morning so we'll update the web site after we've had some much-needed sleep.
South towards Queenstown
After yesterday's hectic pace, we decided to make a leisurely start. We had a long chat with our hosts and they gave us lots more useful information. The weather was pretty well closed in, but as we departed, it did lift enough for us to get a few final glimpses of the glacier. When we reached Fox Glacier, there was still some limited visibility so we drove up the access road to the glacier, and had a brief look at the bottom part of it. The road was closed before the 'normal' end point by a huge rock slide so we couldn't see too much of it, but we got a few photos anyway. We then set off southwards towards Wanaka.
Somewhere along the way, we stopped for coffee and spoke to a couple of Brits who informed us that all accommodation in Wanaka was fully booked because an agricultural show was just starting. The weather was not at all great and we thought that views of Lake Wanaka probably wouldn't be brilliant, so we decided that we would drive through Wanaka and make our way to Queenstown. We thumbed through our trusty accommodation guides, found somewhere to stay in Queenstown, and phoned to book it.
As we approached Lake Wanaka, the sky began to brighten again, and just as the lake came into view, the sun broke through. It was quite windy and the lake had a bit of a chop on it, but it was the most wonderful turquoise colour despite the sky still being grey and cloudy! The camera had mostly had a day off until this point, and we had been making very good progress in the car. However, the views of the lake reduced our progress to a sequence of stops and starts and the camera went into overdrive!
After several miles along the shore of Lake Wanaka, the road suddenly turned away from the lake and, as Kathryn was driving, Tom started studying the map to see what to expect next. A sudden exclamation from the driver's seat made him look up to see an even more impressive view of Lake Hawea appearing straight in front of us, with a spectacular mountain backdrop. Once again, the colour was beautiful, and we couldn't help wondering what that view would look like on a really nice day.
We stopped briefly in Wanaka to fill up the car, and take a last look at Lake Wanaka, and then set off on the last leg to Queenstown. The terrain in this part of the country seems to change every few miles. Before we got to Wanaka, the mountains had lost their covering of rain forest, and their colouring was similar to Scottish mountains in the autumn. The shapes were quite different though and the tops were very jagged. As we left Wanaka behind, the mountains looked more and more like the setting for a spaghetti western, and there were Mediterranean type scrub plants growing beside the road.
We drove through an area which was packed full of orchards, and a little while later, another area which was full of vines and wineries. We weren't tempted to stop at one because we are saving that experience for later in the trip. We also stopped to take some photos at Kawarau bridge just outside Queenstown. This is a suspension bridge over a very steep gorge and the Kawarau River. It was worth photographing purely for the setting, but this is also where they do Bungy Jumping! Unfortunately they were just packing up for the day, so we didn't see anyone jump but we did see one girl clutching her certificate.
We had booked ourselves a cheap motel so for once we have no spectacular views from our room. But it is clean and has cooking facilities which we used to make ourselves a Spaghetti Bolognaise. It was a nice change not to have to go out to eat and just relax for the evening.
Rapid Progress!
It was one of those days in the mountains when the weather changed every few minutes, but the worst of it was restricted to the peaks, and we only had a little bit of drizzle in Queenstown. We were not particularly concerned about the weather because we had booked an 11:00am trip on the Shotover Jet, and reckoned we would be getting wet anyway.
Most of you have probably not heard of the Shotover Jet, so some explanation is called for. The jet boat was invented by a New Zealander, Sir Hamilton, and it works by sucking water up through a hole in the bottom of the boat and expelling it at great speed through jets at the rear. The result is a boat which can operate in as little as 10cm of water at speeds of 70kph and can do a 360 degree turn in its own length at high speed!
The Shotover Jet is just one of many such rides in NZ, and is reckoned to be the most exciting, so we just had to try it out. We were seated in the front row with the driver, and there were two rows of 5 people behind us. On casting off from the jetty, we were immediately into white water, and Scotty our pilot circled round for the photographer to take a picture of us all while he held the boat steady in the strong current. Then he accelerated upstream for 100 meters, turned and just after he passed the photographer again he threw in the first of many 360 degree turns. This immediately had everyone whooping with delight, and we have a great photograph to remind us what it was like.
The formalities being over with, our driver Scotty set off downstream between the cliffs and jagged rocks of the Shotover gorge at full speed. Oh boy - what an adrenaline rush! It was fast, I mean REALLY fast, and that's not all. You might think that hurtling down a white water river in a canyon sounds pretty exciting, but Scotty did not steer a nice course down the middle of the canyon. If there was a sharp evil looking rock sticking out, he would steer straight for it. When the boat was literally inches away, he would perform some magic with the steering wheel which would tilt the speeding boat in such a way that we just missed the rock. You will have to take our word for it when we say that we really did miss the cliffs and rocks by a very few inches.
On several occasions Scotty waved his hand in a circle which indicated it was time to hang on extra tight because he was going to do a 360. They were just amazing and he threw up a great wall of water right next to Tom, most of which landed outside the boat. We did all get a bit wet when the boat was slapping though the roughest white water, but we didn't mind a bit.
All we can say is that if any of you ever has the opportunity to go for a ride in a jet boat, do not decline it. It is very safe, as demonstrated by the fact that Shotover has had over a million customers and we both had loads and loads of fun.
After we had returned to Queenstown and had lunch, we had a ride in the Skyline Gondola which provides dramatic views over the town, lake and The Remarkables mountains. Unfortunately, the peaks were hidden in cloud but the view was so interesting that we decided to stay there for the afternoon and hope the weather improved. It was amazing to watch just how quickly the weather did change, but it never quite lifted off the peaks. We got some photos though which will hopefully give a fairly good idea of what the area is like.
We finished the day with a very pleasant Chinese meal (and a free bottle of wine thanks to some voucher Kathryn had picked up) before walking back to our apartment which is about 10 minutes from the town centre.
Queenstown is a fun town. It has an atmosphere very similar to a ski resort which is not surprising because it is a ski resort, but it has a huge amount to offer outside the ski season. There are countless outdoor activities, and the New Zealanders seem to have invented lots of new ways to kill yourself. There are 43 meter and 71 meter bridges where you can bungy. You can also bungy underneath the gondola, and that looks like it smashes you straight into the mountain. You can go down white water rivers in countless ways, the most dodgy being on a small body board about half the length of a surf board. There is white water rafting and black water rafting which is where you sit in an inner tube and hurtle around on an underground river.
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