Day 68 – Sun and snow

Making the most of the kitchen facilities I made myself beans on toast for breakfast. You wouldn’t believe how much I’ve much I’ve missed beans on toast! Over breakfast I got chatting to an American couple, who we’d met the pervious night in the kitchen.

The time and tide were right for me to be able to take out a kayak after breakfast. I think I chose one a little too small for me and  sat in a nice chilly pool of water. Skilfully Luckily I managed to launch the Kayak into the small inlet without falling in. Paddling 500 meters downstream the inlet opened out into a protected wetland. The scene wasn’t the prettiest but I did see some birds among the reeds. I continued paddling for a mile or so until I reached the harbour. Along the way I stopped to ask a fisherman what he was trying to scoop up in his large net (there seems to be people all over he place doing this); he said he was after white bait. I took a few pictures as I rested for a while before making the return journey. Going back was much faster as the time was with me. Many of the reed passages that I’d previously navigated had now been swallowed up by the tide.

After a quick shower we hit the 6 en route to Franz Joseph. We stopped of at a small town about an hour in to look at some of the jade and bone carving factories. We bumped into the Americans in one shop. We also paid a visit to the rugged beach and stood in awe at how rough the coastline looked. As far as the eye could see the gray sandy beach was covered in worn down drift wood.

We only made one more stop, at an exquisite sculptor’s gallery, before reaching Franz Joseph. We found the YHA, our accommodation for the night, easily. We signed up for a year membership and in return got a discount on the room as well as an offer for a free room on the North Island. We later used the card to get a discount on the glacier tour that we’d booked for tomorrow. Been a while since I’ve been in a YHA and I was particularly impressed by the size and quality of this one.

Dumping some stuff off we headed back out on the road to see the Fox glacier. The twisty mountain road was great fun in our little go cart of a car. Tom commented that I should take up rally driving when I get back home.

Following a bit of advice from a local info centre we parked up near a swing bridge not far from the glacier. Crossing the bridge was fun as we both prated about, making it swing and bounce as we walked. Not much further on up the hill we got a good view of the glacier in the distance.

Retuning to the car we found the Americans sitting close by. They’d been hiking close by and were waiting to be picked up. We chatted for a while before taking the car up the road to the glacier car park. From there it was a 15 minute hike to the closest point available to the glacier. Pretty impressive sight seeing that mass of ice sat in the valley, set against the blazing blue sky’s and deep green vegetation that covered the mountains. You could clearly see evidence of the glacier’s path from near vertical cliffs cut into the valley.

Retuning to the YHA we stopped off at an impressive rocky river bed. Back at the YHA we headed straight for the sauna then cooked up another fresh meal. I’m loving the hostels in New Zealand so far, its making life so much more comfortable that what we’ve been used to.