Glacier Country

Trip Start Nov 09, 2005
1
26
37
Trip End Mar 01, 2006


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of New Zealand  ,
Thursday, January 12, 2006

As i said, an early start out of greymouth-it didn't look any more appealing in the morning either-and back off down the coast. We stopped of at Hokitika, which is a really pretty little town were they do a lot of Jade carving, and glass blowing. We went into the glassware shop and the guys are just set up at the back making the stuff that they sell in the shop. it's amazing to watch, they make it look really easy!! then we went over to a jade carving factory, where we were going to have a go at carving our own, but it takes around 5 hours to do, and we didn't really have the time!!! So off we headed, further down the coast to the two glaciers. There are two glaciers on New Zealands coast, and the reason they are so special is because they are so close to the sea-which basically never happens with glaciers, and also because of the rate at which they are moving. we went to see the Franz Josef glacier first, which is the busier of the two, with the intention of spending a night here before going down to see the Fox glacier. When we got to the Franz Josef glacier the weather was a bit grim, but we're English so we headed off on the half hour walk with our rain coats on! However, when we reached the face of the glacier you couldn't see a thing as it was completely covered in fog-haha!!! We did think about taking the next walk, which takes you closer to the glacier, but because there was so much rainfall all of the rivers were running higher than usual and we were only wearing trainers-which would've meant wet feet!!! so we headed up to the look out point in the hope that the cloud would clear a little, but it didn't and we could see even less!!! So we headed back to the car, and went straight on down to spend the night in fox glacier town!!
Slideshow Print this entry Auckland hotels