I can’t believe this is the 100th time I’ve posted! What a windbag!
The drive from Punakaiki to Franz Josef Glacier (which is not just a glacier, but the name of a small community) is about 2.5 hours. Along the way is this gorgeous little spot called Hokitika Gorge.
The water flowing through the gorge is mostly from melted glacial ice, so it carries this glacial flour with it, giving the water some very cool colors.
The swing bridge across the river seems to attract the Instagram folks. We watched one doofus lose his lens cap in the water while trying to get shots of his girlfriend on the bridge. By the way, the sand flies here are pretty bad….I wouldn’t wear shorts for this walk unless it was really hot. Ms. Doofus spent more time trying to keep the sand flies off her legs versus posing for shots. Light hiking pants are the smart choice on the South Island. Somebody very smart is in the next photo.
This spot where I’m standing was sand fly central. We bought some Bushman 20% Deet bug spray on the North Island and it has been very effective! Don’t leave home without it! Everytbody around me was getting eaten alive, but they were keeping clear of Deet Chris!
We then drove back into the town of Hokitika to shop for jade jewelry. This is supposed to be the best place in New Zealand to find unique jade pieces, as this is the birthplace of New Zealand Jade, also known as Pounamu, and most of the artists who carve this call Hokitika home. The jade comes from the Arahura River just north of town. You kinda have to buy a piece of jade here or you haven’t really been to New Zealand. Kim found a very nice necklace that she will be sporting to wine events in the near future! Make sure you notice and say “ohhh, ahhhh”.
We pulled into Franz Josef in the pouring rain. It rained pretty much the entire two days we were there, which is truly a bummer since the mountains and glaciers are completely obscured. We did the hike to Lake Matheson, regardless of the rain, since it’s considered one of the most iconic photography spots in the country.
A perfect reflection? Not so much. There are supposed to be mountains in the background, as in this stock photo.
This “picture frame” at the start fo the hike to the lake is mocking us as we walk by. I never thought I would feel hatred towards a picture frame! Good thing I didn’t have an axe!
Can’t you see Mt. Tasman and Mt. Cook? No? Are you seriously saying the king isn’t wearing any clothes?
Following the hike to Late Matheson, we decided to hike out to the end of the Fox Glacier trail, in hopes of actually seeing a glacier on this trip. An hour of hiking got us this faint glimpse.
If you squint really hard and pretend to believe in the Easter Bunny, you too can see ice in that photo. It’s my belief that if you want to see real glaciers up close and personal, go to the Canadian Rockies. We got much more up close and personal with the ice there. I can’t comment on the ice intamacy. What happens in Canada stays in Canada.
Along the trail to our “epic” view of Fox Glacier, there are several areas that have endured serious mud slides due to recent heavy rains. Here is a shot of one such spot.
The mud, rocks, trees and overall devastation was clearly evident throughout the trail, as well as along the roadway to Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. They have done a remarkable job of cleaning up, to be quite honest.
We ate at a restaurant in Franz Josef that was so good we went back the next night. The restaurant is called Alice May. If you come here, don’t even consider another place. The salmon and the “zingy fish” are to die for!
We ran into a couple in the parking lot of our hotel, got to chatting, and the next thing we know we are drinking beers in their room for the next hour and a half. Great folks from Melbourne, Australia, Phil and Sandra, who we hope to connect with when our cruise ship stops there in a couple of weeks (provided the cruise doesn’t get cancelled).
Next up, the drive to Queenstown, Lake Wanaka, and Rippon Winery.
Stay safe and healthy on that cruise! Super hiking on the South Islamd.
Thanks Mark! We are supposed to be on the cruise in 3 days. Sounding like it might get cancelled. Time to plan more stuff in New Zealand!