25 September, 2005

Relocations and Fox Glacier

Jez_116Thursday saw me and Zena leave Queenstown for a coach journey up to Christchurch. 8 Hours later saw us staying in Stonehurst Backpackers, a lovely place at reasonable rent. Me and Zee paid a little extra for our own room.. Went out that evening for a bite to eat, and found a great Turkish Kebab shop! mmmm tasty.. Both places definitely recommended.



Anyway the next day saw us getting up early so we could pick up our relocation campervan from Maui at Christchurch Airport. No worries sorting it all out. I paid a little extra than a dollar a day, to ensure I was covered properly on the insurance. But soon enough we had a massive Volkwagen 2 berth with Toilet and Shower!! After stopping to stock up on food and drinks, we headed for Arthurs Pass on the way to Fox Glacier.



The scenery crossing Arthurs Pass and also the whole of the West Coast is bloody impressive.. Amazing mountain ranges, sheer drops, rivers and rainforest make this one of the best drives ever!! After stopping for some lunch at Arthurs Pass we headed down, and took a detour via the Arnold river and also Arnold creek.. Photo Opportunity!! Finally got to Fox Glacier at 7pm, and booked in for the half day hike the next day.



This hike up to the glacier, and an hour on the ice as well, was amazing!! We both had the best time, and would recommend it to anybody. Led by an experienced Guide, scrambling over rocks and mountain streams, and finally putting on a pair of crampons, and walking over a river of ice is without doubt one of the best experiences of my trip to NZ! Loads of photos coming soon!!



Anyway because we had to leave on the ferry the next morning, we decided to drive on as soon as the hike was over, and we were looking forward to an 8 hour trip to Picton!! Went via the Pancake rocks at Punaikai, which were formed after millions of years of erosion.. truly beautiful! Also via some amazing west coast beaches. Finally arriving in Picton at 9pm.. after parking up for the night on the site of a notorious massacre, Zee convinced me that we should drive on a bit... finally slept the night in the Ferry carpark!!



Anyway we have taken the interislander ferry, had a nose around Windy Welly and driven 6hours from Wellington to Tuarangi.. just gonna go to bed zzzzz

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1 comment:

  1. LiamSeptember 26, 2005 at 9:15 AM

    Alrite Jez,

    How cool is the south island? I went swimming at Pancake Rocks! Sounds liek you are having a wicked time...I'm dead jelous, I'm sat here in front of a brand new seperate ACD screen! Think I am doing an I to I course to teach english as a foreign language soon, so I can be paid to travel :)

    Liam

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