Chateau Franz Josef Backpackers South Island

View our pictures from NZ: http://picasaweb.google.com/ThreeVagabo nds/FourVagabondsTakeOnNewZealand# http://picasaweb.google.com/ThreeVagabo nds/NZSWestCoastLakeWanakaToWestport# Skydiving pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/ThreeVagabo nds/EmbraceTheFearSKYDIVING After our Melbourne Cup celebrations, we got an early start the morning of November 5th. We flew out of Melbourne Airport at 9:15 am and flew directly to Christchurch, New Zealand, where our next set of adventures were about to b...

We woke up early Friday morning for our hike up the Franz Josef Glacier. After getting fitted for our boots and gear, and short bus trip to the mountain, we spent the ENTIRE day on the ice. Unfortunately, the weather was a little overcast but, as usual, the 4 vagabonds made the best of it. We hiked up icy paths and squeezes ourselves through tiny crevasses to get a look at the most inner parts of the creation. Frozen, wet and tired, we headed back to town around 5:30 and headed back to the ho...

We were up early on Monday morning to catch the bus to Franz Josef. At this stage we had been traveling with the same bus driver and pretty much the same people since Picton. We had all gotten to know each other pretty well and we were a lively bunch. Our bus driver Andy used to drive the Kiwi Experience buses (Magic's competitor) and encouraged us to flash and moon the Kiwi bus. Three of the Dutch guys did us proud and mooned on our behalf. We may have been traveling a while now but we still...

Arrived safely from Australia having had to go through a rigorous process to get in. They are so strict I had to have my boots washed because I said I had been on a farm!! Oh well that over Scenic Circle Airdale Hotel made up for it as I was double-booked into one room they gave me a suite instead - bargain. Picked up early on day one of my 21 day New Zealand Tour of North and South Islands. Its a bit drizzling but its not cold. North Island Day 1 - Auckland to Bay of Islands. Going to Bay of...

Pretty much my first gray day in NZ. Sucks too, because I booked a half-day trek up Franz Josef glacier. So yeah, after about 4 hours on the bus, we arrived in Franz Josef where I immediately strapped on some crampons and went with a group up the glacier. Turns out the weather wasn't even an issue. The glacier was absolutely stunning. It was massive and moves about 4 meters per day. It's like a living thing, constantly shifting and reshaping itself down the mountain valley. Pretty tired after...

19/12/03 8am, feeling *****, not really fancying a day on a bus full of strangers, i pull my **** out of bed, today i'm off to Greymouth on the Magic bus. 1st impressions of the bus were not great, full of old people and the French, very strange and not at all like the Feejee experience, our only other tour bus experience (i guess, if only because for the first time this trip, all of us are in different cities - me on the bus, Brace still in Nelson and Brad in Wellington). Anyway, the bus tri...

Sun 6th. As we wanted to head straight toFranz Joseph, and not stay overnight at Greymouth as we would have to if travelling on the Magicbus, we booked onto a local travel bus taking us direct. We did however stop of at Pancake Rocks for some stunning views of the sea crashing into them, and the water being pushed out of natural blow holes. We arrived at Franz at 5 pm, just in time to make some tea and chat so other travellers in the kitchen and our room in 'the stables'. Mon 7th - The Glacie...

We arrived in Franz Josef on the 25th, staying at Chateau Franz. Cool hostel with great views of the mountains & glacier. The main reason we have come here is to visit the glacier. Originally we had booked onto a half day trek up the glacier, which was about 4.5 hours long with around 1.5 hours on the ice. However after arrival & talking to several people we changed to a full day trek. We were advised that on the half day you spend most of the time walking to the glacier & you don...