Glacier View Motel

... of our NZ trip and was also the first activity we’d been unable to do in three months of travelling. We drove to the glacier view point but the information sign said you would have to get within 150 metres of the glacier (a 1.5 hour walk) to see ...

... getting absolutely soaked, we were feeling sorry for ourselves (well I was anyway) and as we drove along, I suggested that we book into a motel in Fox.  Dave agreed but only if they had Sky as he wanted to watch the rugby match (England v NZ).  ...

... and cold, were available all day long. Next we viewed a mountain goat before turning up the inlet towards Johns Hopkins Glacier.  There were numerous other glaciers (tidewater, valley, and hanging ones) in this inlet. Lamplugh Glacier had a ...

... entering the park we spotted 3 bears in the river.  Looked like they were doing some fishing.  We arrived at the Many Glacier Lodge and then boarded a small boat for a tour of Swift Current Lake.  The skies were a bit cloudy, but the rain ...

... plenty of scenery and points for Ranger Megan to talk about how the mountains were created and then worn down. Glacier has some of the oldest rocks anywhere. The Avalanche Lake trail goes through the only forest in Glacier that is ...

... my way back along the footpath I marvelled at how the sea is not 25km away, and here amongst a native rainforest there is a glacier! How unique! I also pondered how relatively sad it is that all this lovely forest is only home to birds and some fish in ...

... to warm ourselves with hot sandwiches and soup before heading off for our appointment with the glacier. We succeeded somewhat but stopped off at our motel at lake Matheson to change before the 'climb'.             For our trip onto the ...

... took the helicopter 30 minute trip to view both of the glaciers and got to stand on top of the mountains, actually on the glacier.  I took some great footage on the video, it was fantastic views and I really thought it was great.  We then went ...

... travelling down from Nelson in heavy mist and torrential rain. The weather cleared slightly however when we got to the Motel. The road up to Fox Glacier is a series of winding bends, which was very exciting.WE didmanage to get a clear glimpse of the two ...

We spent today in Glacier National Park. The West Entrance is about 30 miles from Kalispell and our first stop was at the Visitor Center there. It was hardly worth the stop as all they have is an information desk and a small book section. From there we ...

... (nothing less than I'd expect) towards Hasst, which is apparently the last place you can get petrol until you actually get to the Fox Glacier. Well, at that point our fuel gauge was still showing half a tank so as we got there Lee checked with me what we ...

... have some authentic New Zealand treats for breakfast :o)  I had the very popular Weet-Bix cereal.  Pretty yummy.  The view out our motel room window was a bit dismal, the rain and clouds were continuing.  We knew that we were facing a ...

... met veel rotsblokken (ja ik heb dan ook maar een paar foto's genomen:)  Aan de splitsing waar de Blue Lakes en de Tasman Glacier view uit elkaar gaan, sla ik nu de laatste in, na een stevige klim van 15 minuten sta ik boven met een prachtig uitzicht ...

... .  Pressed onto Franz Joseph and our booking is with the chain of Bella Vista Motels.   The room we have has a glacier view and is a studio room with kitchen and bathroom – in fact everything you need with the town and all amenities ...

... to walk around the surface.  It was a bit crisp up there but not freezing and luckily it was sunny and no rain cloud in sight.  It was sweet as hiking on the surface of a glacier, quite the experience. ...

... to the Thunder Creek falls.  It was a nice leg stretch - about as much as we could handle a day after Fox Glacier.             On and on we drove, hundreds of kilometers. We reached lake Wanaka, but wound around to another lake then ...

... more time we could spend on the ice.  We clambered up the many steps on the trail, catching different views of the ridged glacier surface as we came around bends in the trail.  Once we reached the ice, we stopped to strap crampons onto our ...

... the afternoon, went for a much easier, but nevertheless very enjoyable 2 hour valley walk, to Kea Point, at the base of a glacier, and back.   During our stay we decided to treat ourselves to a meal at the main restaurant at the historic (i.e. it ...

... with Ironman and he was doing these races in his sixties.  Top man. The day finished at the ever so welcoming Pine Grove motel.  Tomorrow we hit the glaciers and some big up hills.  Early to bed tonight, New Zealand cycling, as rewarding as ...