Franz Josef to Queenstown
Monday - Franz Josef Glacier Walk
Today was a day off from travelling on the bus, so that we could do a walk on the glacier. I'd signed up to do the full day's walk. This meant collecting a load of equipment from the glacier guide centre, including boots, crampons and a waterproof jacket. It was quite strange going to climb a glacier wearing shorts & t-shirts, but it was still fairly warm!
To start with, the walk was through rainforest to get to the terminal face of the glacier, which took an hour. Then we attached the crampons and started climbing up steps carved into the glacier by our guides. This first part was pretty steep and well-used, being part of all the guided walks on the glacier. Once we finished this part, we were offered ice axes (but told we wouldn't really need them). All of our group declined, and we proceeded up the glacier. This part of the walk involved our guide making a new track at times, going through crevasses and ice caves. Some of the crevasses were pretty tight, with us being squashed between the two sides!
Unfortunately towards the afternoon the weather started to turn colder, and it began to get cold, especially in the crevasses. The guide in front had also decided to try a new route out, which involved going through a long crevasse. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a way out and we had to turn around (difficult in a crevasse barely wide enough for a person!). Eventually we made it back down, most of us quite tired (more from the walk in the rainforest afterwards - the glacier walk was surprisingly easy as it involves so much stopping and starting while the guide cuts a path).
Tuesday - Franz Josef to Wanaka
Today we had an early start, intended for us to get to Lake Matheson, which is a lake normally offering mirror reflections of the mountains in the background on a nice day. Unfortunately, it was definitely not a nice day! We didn't even bother stopping there, as it was raining and misty. Instead, we just went through quickly to Wanaka, with many photo opportunity stops on the way. These also provided lunch stops for all the sandflies waiting at these stops!
On arrival in Wanaka, the weather had improved and it had become a really good day. Wanaka is a gorgeous little town - sometimes described as Queenstown 30 years ago. It is set on a lakeside (Lake Wanaka) with mountains in the background. I would really have liked to spend some more time there, but unfortunately all of the buses behind me were busy, and I wanted to stay with our bus into Queenstown anyway. I opted for a spot of swimming in the lake before going out to a couple of bars, as LJ had a few friends there running the bars!
Wednesday - Wanaka to Queenstown
Today would be the last day for me with the group I've been with since Auckland, as my next step is a separate tour. Our first stop was Puzzling World, full of illusions, puzzles and suchlike. Highlights included a sloping room, where the floor is at an angle but everything else in the room is the right way relative to the floor. Water appears to flow uphill, and everyone has difficulty keeping their balance. They also have a full size 3d maze, which you have to find the 4 corners (preferably in order!) before finding the way out. It was getting pretty tight finding the exit before the time we were supposed to meet back at the bus!
The next stop was AJ Hackett bungy at Karawau bridge - the first bungy site. Normally this would be for any of the passengers who wanted to do the jump, but noone on our bus did! It was also where everyone had to sign up for the other bungy sites. Noone on our bus wanting to do a bungy was going for anything less than the big one - the Nevis bungy (134m). Personally, I am not doing any of them this time in Queenstown - I'll be back here after visiting a few more places, and will have more time available, so will decide what to do then!
Our first night in Queenstown was alwas going to be a big night - partially because more of LJ's friends would be celebrating his birthday with us. We started in the Red Rock bar before moving to Altitude.
It's the morning after now, and I don't expect to see some people for quite some time. I'm off now to jump off a cliff!
Today was a day off from travelling on the bus, so that we could do a walk on the glacier. I'd signed up to do the full day's walk. This meant collecting a load of equipment from the glacier guide centre, including boots, crampons and a waterproof jacket. It was quite strange going to climb a glacier wearing shorts & t-shirts, but it was still fairly warm!
To start with, the walk was through rainforest to get to the terminal face of the glacier, which took an hour. Then we attached the crampons and started climbing up steps carved into the glacier by our guides. This first part was pretty steep and well-used, being part of all the guided walks on the glacier. Once we finished this part, we were offered ice axes (but told we wouldn't really need them). All of our group declined, and we proceeded up the glacier. This part of the walk involved our guide making a new track at times, going through crevasses and ice caves. Some of the crevasses were pretty tight, with us being squashed between the two sides!
Unfortunately towards the afternoon the weather started to turn colder, and it began to get cold, especially in the crevasses. The guide in front had also decided to try a new route out, which involved going through a long crevasse. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a way out and we had to turn around (difficult in a crevasse barely wide enough for a person!). Eventually we made it back down, most of us quite tired (more from the walk in the rainforest afterwards - the glacier walk was surprisingly easy as it involves so much stopping and starting while the guide cuts a path).
Tuesday - Franz Josef to Wanaka
Today we had an early start, intended for us to get to Lake Matheson, which is a lake normally offering mirror reflections of the mountains in the background on a nice day. Unfortunately, it was definitely not a nice day! We didn't even bother stopping there, as it was raining and misty. Instead, we just went through quickly to Wanaka, with many photo opportunity stops on the way. These also provided lunch stops for all the sandflies waiting at these stops!
On arrival in Wanaka, the weather had improved and it had become a really good day. Wanaka is a gorgeous little town - sometimes described as Queenstown 30 years ago. It is set on a lakeside (Lake Wanaka) with mountains in the background. I would really have liked to spend some more time there, but unfortunately all of the buses behind me were busy, and I wanted to stay with our bus into Queenstown anyway. I opted for a spot of swimming in the lake before going out to a couple of bars, as LJ had a few friends there running the bars!
Wednesday - Wanaka to Queenstown
Today would be the last day for me with the group I've been with since Auckland, as my next step is a separate tour. Our first stop was Puzzling World, full of illusions, puzzles and suchlike. Highlights included a sloping room, where the floor is at an angle but everything else in the room is the right way relative to the floor. Water appears to flow uphill, and everyone has difficulty keeping their balance. They also have a full size 3d maze, which you have to find the 4 corners (preferably in order!) before finding the way out. It was getting pretty tight finding the exit before the time we were supposed to meet back at the bus!
The next stop was AJ Hackett bungy at Karawau bridge - the first bungy site. Normally this would be for any of the passengers who wanted to do the jump, but noone on our bus did! It was also where everyone had to sign up for the other bungy sites. Noone on our bus wanting to do a bungy was going for anything less than the big one - the Nevis bungy (134m). Personally, I am not doing any of them this time in Queenstown - I'll be back here after visiting a few more places, and will have more time available, so will decide what to do then!
Our first night in Queenstown was alwas going to be a big night - partially because more of LJ's friends would be celebrating his birthday with us. We started in the Red Rock bar before moving to Altitude.
It's the morning after now, and I don't expect to see some people for quite some time. I'm off now to jump off a cliff!
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