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Haast Pass -> Wanaka

by KC2RIY, on February 12th, 2011 (New Zealand)

The drive from Fox Glacier to Wanaka through Hasst Pass was quite pleasant. We stopped off at a couple of spots along the way. Once at a lookout on the coast where we bumped into a German family who’d been in the same glacier party as us. We didn’t talk for long as we were all being eaten up by sand flies. The next stop was for lunch at one of the many scenic stopovers along the way.

Wanaka is very nice holiday town beside a lake of the same name. It was originally a ski village but now it offers options year round. We looked at a few possible places to stay. It was incredibly windy and severe rains were forecast overnight so the tent was not attractive. We ended up in a little lodge which is very pleasant.

We did some laundry then went out to a nearby place called Puzzling Land. They had a similar maze to the one near Rotorua which we did with the boys. They also had some illusion rooms which were quite interesting. One section was all tipped up at 20 degrees which really fooled the brain and actually left us feeling a little seasick.

Lastly we went shopping and picked up a takeaway which we ate in the back garden of the lodge. We ended up spending the evening chatting to an American couple on their fourth visit to NZ.

Category: New Zealand | Here is my comment

On the Ice

by KC2RIY, on February 11th, 2011 (New Zealand)

We’ve just had a great day on Fox Glacier.

Packing up from the cabin was quick and soon we were driving south from Franz Josef to Fox. With a little time in hand and hardly a cloud in the sky we drove a couple of miles west so we could get a glimpse and and take a picture of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook, the second and highest mountains in NZ.

At 10:10 our party of 12 intrepid glacier explorers were called together to be kitted up. They had a good system where you could borrow as much additional gear as we needed including boots, raincoats, overtrousers, back packs, hats, mittens, etc. We were then bussed to the glacier car park in the company of our very informative guide Jonathan.

We were led up the side of the valley through the rain forest to get glimpses of the glacier from different vantage points. At one point we heard some large booms around the valley, the result of ice crashing from the tunnel where the river came out of the mouth of the glacier.

After nearly two hours we were at the edge of the glacier where we were given crampons to strap over our boots. Then we were climbing up onto the ice. Jonathan led the way using a pick axe to create/improve steps in the ice. When we reached a safe area he showed us various techniques for walking on the ice so we wouldn’t slip over.

Thus followed several hours of wandering over the ice to be shown features that changed from day to day. We were led through crevices and through moulins (holes in the ice). Jonathan spent a lot of time filling in the crevices so we could pass through working up a great sweat.

Towards the end we had an optional squeeze through a long tunnel. Helen and I both gave it a go. We started off crouching but the last half of the tunnel required us to get down on our bellies and wriggle through the wet ice. There were a few cut knees after this but no one seemed to care. We were all cold, wet and smiling.

As we walked off the glacier we became warmer and warmer glad to strip off our extra layers and dry off. Although we hadn’t felt tired throughout the day, by the time we reached the bus we did feel quite exhausted.

Having returned our borrowed equipment we said our thanks and headed off to the campsite to move into the cabin we’d booked the previous day. We didn’t stop long as we were famished. We headed into town and ate out.

Today we’re going to head out of here. The weather is overcast but not raining. We’re looking forward to driving the coast without it raining and giving us a chance to see the mountains around us. We should reach Wanaka.

Category: New Zealand | Here is my comment

At the foot of Franz Josef

by KC2RIY, on February 10th, 2011 (Freezing Rain, New Zealand)

Our plans were to have an easy day followed by a long day. With the Saturday weather forecast deteriorating and not wanting to get up at the crack of dawn on Friday to pack the tent we decided to move into one of the small cabins here. So Thursday morning was spent drying the dew off the tent, packing it and moving into the cabin.

Just before lunch we were done and off for the 45 minute walk to the foot of the Franz Josef glacier. This time we hiked from the car park along the wide bed of rubble formed by the river running under the glacier. As we approached the glacier itself we could see the maw of the river which was gushing strongly carrying large chunks of ice from within the glacier. We ate our lunch here taking in the valley and ever present waterfalls around us.

Back at the car we decided to drive to Fox Glacier 20km away to have a quick look around there. We drove to a point where we could see the glacier before returning to the small village to book our guided day hike for today. We also visited a campsite there and decided we’ll move into a cabin there after our day hike.

In the evening as we were settling down we ran into Don and Marie from Freezing Rain who had just arrived and moved into a cabin very near to us with Don’s sister, Sue. Inevitably we all ended up chatting the evening away over bottles of wine – a very nice surprise and end to the day.

Category: Freezing Rain, New Zealand | Here is my comment

Roberts Point Track

by KC2RIY, on February 9th, 2011 (New Zealand)

For our first day by the glaciers we hiked the trail to Robert’s Point. The trail was listed as taking 5 hours and 20 mins round trip which turned out to be almost exactly right. The trail took us down river a way past Peter’s Pool and then over the first of 3 or 4 swing bridges. Then the long climb along a mixture of made paths, rock scrambles and slippery, wet stream beds. At one point the trail had followed planks suspended from a vertical cliff face.

Our destination was Robert’s Point where we had an excellent view of the top of Franz Josef Glacier. We ate our lunch here and rested before the arduous descent. Going down the slippery rocks was hard work as it was too easy to lose grip and fall. Our knees took a bit of a beating on these sections and we ended up quite tired by the time we reached the car.

Despite the effort this was a great hike and one to remember. Hopefully the pictures will give some idea of the trail and the majestic scenery around us. The glacier, naturally, sits in a carved valley with hanging waterfalls aplenty.

Today the skies are again blue but we’re going to take it easy after the exertions of yesterday. We’ll take the easy hike to the base of the glacier. We’ll also visit the information center to find the best way to visit the ice tomorrow, either here or at nearby Fox Glacier.

Category: New Zealand | Here is my comment

Off to the glaciers

by KC2RIY, on February 8th, 2011 (New Zealand)

The previous days rain had cleared and the skies were clear. The day for traveling back to the west coast was promising. After breakfast we packed our still wet tent and headed off.

It was still a little chilly at first but this meant there was no humidity and we could see the southern alps stretching out ahead of us over 100km away. Our return trip took us back over Arthur’s Pass. Before reaching the pass we stopped off at a place called Stone Castle which we’d seen on the way over. Here were some fascinating limestone rocks dominating the landscape. We parked the car to walk amongst them and climb up to Castle Rock which didn’t look to large sitting atop a small hill. It turned out to be a rather large rock sitting atop a pretty big hill so the hike up was harder than we thought. You’ll see from the pictures how awesome the place was. It’s even harder in photos to appreciate the scale of the place. A few pictures have people in them – try to find them, they’re usually tiny. The rocks we initially came to towered over us. When we looked down from Castle Rock they looked like pebbles.

The only event to mar this superb side trip was a was finding it’s way down the back of Helen’s dress. She was stung on her back and then somewhere lower down before we flushed it out. I showed my bravery by dispatching the wasp with my flip flop. Back at the car we had some stuff to ease the stings which was duly applied before we lunched and headed off.

As we crossed the divide and descended to the west the weather turned grim and we were back in the rain. This was as unwelcome as it was expected. Fortunately the campsite at Franz Josef was not too badly affected and we managed to pitch our tent in slight drizzle finishing just before it poured down. After a long day we ate out in the small tourist town here.

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This morning the skies are blue and the sun is out. The pics above have a sneak preview of the nearby glacier which we’re going to hike to today.

Category: New Zealand | Here is my comment
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