Holly Homestead B&B Franz Josef

... with a code type of device on it. Thank god there was some drunken guy at the door making calls and fumbling with codes, otherwise we really would have been SOL. When we got inside we saw that there was a gate down at reception and 2 envelopes taped to the gate. We surely thought one of those would be for us (even though there were other names on the envelopes). But hey, we had a reservation this time right? We were golden! Or so we thought....<br>I grabbed each envelope and headed ...

But weather didn't cooperate. I had signed up for a half day heli-hike on the 12th (helicopter up to the top of the glacier; hike for 2 hours) and sky-diving the next morning. But weather prevented both of them. Instead, I did the 1/2 day hike up the glacier, which was still fun, and pushed my skydive back to Wanaka that afternoon.

... thought that was it - how wrong we were! 4 tunnels of ice later (of varying sizes), many crevaces of ice climbed, and many episodes of me saying 'what the ??? I can't do this! ' like the brave Anna that I am, we came down the glacier, 9 hours after the day started. Super fun!<br><br>* Nights out at the hostel are super cheap, and super good. So are the hot pools, even though you can't sit down due to leg pain.<br><br>Lesson learnt: don't eat yellow snow.

... caves. Jon squeezed through a really narrow ice tunnel which he said was amazing... I took the easier and drier route around the top. Our guide carefully cut steps into the ice with his pick in random places to help our journey.<br><br>In the afternoon we went as far up the glacier as we could, stepping carefully over huge crevasses in the glacier which looked pretty scary!<br><br>That night we had a meal back in Franz Josef... Lamb shanks made a refreshing change to pasta.<br><br>

... down a quick and early lunch. We then parked up on the main street in town and found the office who we had booked our tour with. <br><br>We were given a quick brief and kitted out with waterproof trousers, jackets, gloves, socks, boots and spikes before going 10 minutes on the coach to the national park. We walked through the park for 45 minutes through forest and then down the riverbed (which surprisingly had dried up to a small ...

Leaving Greymouth the highway follows the coast as the Southern Alps start to loom large to the east. Truly the land of the great white cloud with a snowline all the way along the range. Here things get a little wild with signs like "150km to the next fuel". I am entering the West and South. Eventually I get to the glacier region after the mountains get higher ...

... it was time to descend. We walked back down to the rock and took off our crampons. It was a 40 minute walk back to the bus, with great views of the foot of the glacier. We were cold and wet, and deserved the warm showers that we had back at the hostel. We spent the evening warming ourselves by the fire and eating ravioli with blue cheese sauce (my recipe and David loved it!). We heard the mouse at night again.<br><br>The following morning we drove ...

... to say the least - but exhilirating. I get half way up the fifth and just graciously accept defeat in spite of my grit and determination and outright anger at the damn experience. The highlight is the views. The glaciar and the resulting valley are phenomenal. At the end of the day we've arrived back in the hostel and the whole group are going to the bar for pints and food and to watch the rugby game and lend ...

... the moon's rise.<br><br>After spending the night at a holiday park, I arose early (I typically would have dinner around 7pm, clean up, read and be asleep by 10 or 11pm at the very latest each night) to hike Fox Glacier before heading to her sister, Franz Josef Glacier, just up the road, but arrived to find that the trail that led to the glacier had been closed due to a recent avalanche. This worked out well: 1) I wasn't on the trail when the ...

... kust inimesed pidid enne ja peale lendu läbi käima. Pagasid pandi ilusti kärule ja viidi aia taha. ja loomulikult oli esimene probleem meile transport linna..khm külasse. Lennujaamas sebis küll üks Avise autorendi tädi, kes teatas, et kõik autod on juba välja üüritud ja tellige takso. Seda me ka tegime, sest bussi seal ka ei käinud. Taksojuht sõidutas meid lahkelt "linna" ja peale mõningast konsultatsiooni otsustasime edasist ...