Hold on to your seats because this is going to be an action adventure packed update. We are headed to the adventure capital of the world....Queenstown!! Sky diving, paragliding, bungy jumping.......none of which we did.
Since our last update have traveled down the west coast stopping at the Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers. I should also point out that we made an unscheduled stop on the way with the local NZ policeforce, where I picked up a nice $NZ120 speeding fine!!! We arrived at the town of Franz Joseph just in time for a huge rain storm. We spent most of the day in the camper van trying to stay warm and dry. It looked like we weren't going to get to hike up the base, let alone hike on the glacier at all.
The next day we had decided to move on but stopped at Fox glacier in the morning and caught a pocket of blue sky and sun, just in time to hike up to the base and see the glacier. It was a tough hike, we barely made it and had to cross roaring rivers to get to the base. (Only the little Japanese lady along side us managed to do it in high heels carrying her Gucci bag and an umbrella so it couldn't have been that bad. Maybe I embellish a little.) Whilst the Glaciers were great to see I think I have been spoiled by the ones in Chile and so didn't find them that spectacular.
Alex starts off the hike strong and brave.
At the base of the glacier. I think it is a little too muddy to be picturesque.
Alex thinking..."Nice Glacier and all, but not as good as Patagonia."
After conquering the glaciers we drove all day to Queenstown - New Zealand's adventure capital. We spent a traditional Easter in Queenstown; sunday morning church service, a speedy ham sandwhich and off to adventure. We started off by taking the gondola ride up the mountain to ride the luge!! We had beautiful sunny weather and spectacular views of Queenstown and the lake from the top.
Alex took the "advanced" course on the luge - one handed!!
In the afternoon we had booked a ride on the jetboat in Shotover river canyon!! While the ride only lasts about 30 minutes it is like a roller coaster. The driver takes you up close to the canyon walls and does 360 degree turns. I have to say that this was a fantastic experience and left me grinning ear to ear. The jetboats run off 2 V6 Buick engines and because they don't have a propeller they are able to spin and change direction very quickly - a highly recommened experience...
Can you pick out where we are??
Next stop, Te Anau and the Fjordland National park. This is home to much of NZ famous movie filming - The Lord of the Rings. We did not take the Lord of the Rings offroad tour but you can tell by the scenery why they chose this area. Again we were lucky with clear blue skies, although the weather is much colder here in the southwest coast. The drive to the fjords was amazing with waterfalls, gorges, tunels and snowcapped mountains. After arriving in Milford we took a boat ride out to the fjords to get a closer look, just one word can describe it - spectacular!!!
Stunning scenery in Milford Sound
Waterfalls abound
Sailing through the Fjords
We drove back to Milford that evening to take a tour of Gloworm caves. We were unsure what to expect but weren't disappointed. After a boat ride across lake Te Anau we were escorted into the limestone caves along walkways and small gondola style boats. Inside it was pitch black apart from thousands of tiny pinprick lights from the gloworms hanging from the ceiling. It was a magical experience and a great way to end our time in the fjordland national park.
Our next stop is back to the East coast and the city of Dunedin before heading north towards Christchurch. Stay tuned for more adventures...................
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