Heading to glacier country – Christchurch to Franz Josef

The journey from Christchurch to Franz Josef (click to enlarge)

26th April 2006AD

Clear skies. That’s what we woke up to the morning we were leaving Christchurch. It was a pity that we didn’t have these clear skies during our actual day outings, but oh well – at least we would have clearer weather for our drive to Franz Josef.

After finishing our breakfast I was looking out the window at the skies. I then peered down to the road where our car was – kinda half checking that it was still there! – and noticed a piece of paper on the windscreen. A short wave of panic went over Shte1 and I as we feared that the parking officers were out in force early and we had been caught with an expired meter – we were previously told that parking in front of the apartments was no problem as the meters were not working and would become operational on Wednesday…the day we were scheduled to leave! I raced downstairs with our first load of suitcases to throw in the back and found that the paper on the windscreen was not a parking ticket, but were free admission tickets to the local ‘adult bar’. I noticed that every car within walking distance also had the same on their windscreens.

Phew!

Packed and ready to go, we set off on our 6(ish) hour drive. We left Christchurch behind relatively quickly and headed into sheep territory (where in New Zealand isn’t sheep territory?). The highways were long, straight, and surrounded generally by gorgeous scenery. They were also full of “crazy drivers” as a relative from New Zealand had admitted to us! But the roads started to empty and before too long, we had it all to ourselves – what a great way to get around the country!

Soon enough, though, the clouds that had disappeared in the morning reappeared and the rest of the drive towards ‘Arthur’s Pass’ was pretty wet. At some points relatively mild rain (ie, the intermittent setting on your windscreen wipers) and at other times it was very heavy (the highest/fastest setting!). Coupled with narrow and twisting roads this made for an exciting drive (but Shte1 didn’t really think so)!

We stopped by at the Arthur’s Pass tourist centre and had a look around. Was a good enough break for the two of us and we were able to see a 3D map of the south island and also have some idea of where we were heading and what to expect. Sure enough the drive down the other side of the mountains was steep and before too long we had hit the west coast of New Zealand.

A short stop at Hokitika for lunch at one of the local bar/cafés where the ‘fish and chips’ sounded too enticing to pass up. Sure enough, this massive meal greeted us – enough for two!

Mmm...

Hokitika was also our first stop for fuel in New Zealand and boy were we greeted with a bit of a shock - $1.70 plus per litre of fuel was the norm! The price was increase a little during the rest of the trip, but goodness… to fill up cost $40 dollars for about 20L of fuel…eek!

The rest of the drive was then pretty straight forward. Heading southward after Hokitika we had the ocean on the right hand side, and mountains hugging the left hand side – only in New Zealand!

Round a corner and we spotted the place we were staying at – Glenfern Villas, a short 3km outside of the township of Franz Josef with spectacular views just outside the window! The room we had was another well kept nicely spacious, and self-contained villas.

What's behind curtain number 1...woah...

Since it was late afternoon we decided to hit the shops for a bit of grocery shopping. So off into town to check out some of the tourist shops as well as pick up dinner. Whilst at the store I found some 250ml bottles of wine (still getting use to seeing wine inside a supermarket) and purchased the Montana 2005 Sauvignon Blanc and 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend.

Dinner was home cooked noodles in chicken soup with frozen vegies and some marinated chicken drumsticks – food was a great part of New Zealand, sorry for so much detail with our meals!

27th April 2006AD

This morning we woke again to a beautiful sunny morning. We would later find out that this was the first sunny day in about 10 days… which was fortunate (if you want to use a heretical term) for us. As Shte1 got ready for the day I attempted to cook up the maple syrup-flavoured pancakes…which ended up quite rubbery, but good with the canned peaches.

Once finished we set off into town looking for adventure. Stopping by some of the tourist stores, again, we also came across a fully automated toilet. For a small fee of 50c you had 10 minutes, with cheesy piano music playing in the background (I think the tune was ‘Love lifts us up…’), in one of the most high-tech toilets I have ever been in. Everything was fully electronic – even the toilet roll dispenser was electronic! Oh how I wish I took some photos.

Fresh from the dunny stop, more adventure lurked around the corner. This time in the form of quad-bikes. These four-wheeled, two-seater, cross-country land roving machines were just the ticket for Shte1 and I (considering we thought the cost of an actual glacier walk a bit too much). Our guide, “Holly”, took us on a 1.5 hour tour through mud, big puddles, a rocky/bumpy river bed, grassland and even through a rainforest. Water/mud proof jackets, trousers and gumboots were provided with the package, which was a good thing because things did get pretty muddy! Very fun, and spectacular scenery as well.

Yes, we do look a bit geeky...but the mud-gear was a necessity!

Back on dry land and we had a late-ish lunch at the Kea Café. More shopping ensued where I picked up a blue Koru ‘Flame Art’ necklace (the Koru is a symbol of new life, new beginnings, growth and harmony in the Maori culture). Very cool! Also noticed what I initially thought was some medicine which turned out to be chocolate. Here is the packet name and instructions:

BOCHOX

For the relief of symptoms of wrinkles and crow’s feet.

Warning – May cause weight gain if used incorrectly.

Directions – Simply break off the desire dosage and consume. You should quickly be overcome by stress-relieving endorphins and no longer concerned in the slightest about your wrinkles.

IMPORTANT: THIS PACKET IS PROTECTED BY A TAMPER-EVIDENT PAPER WRAP. IF SEAL HAS BEEN BROKEN SUSPECT EVERYONE. BOCHOX CAN BE HABIT FORMING.

NOT TO BE TAKEN seriously.

MmmMMmm... BOCHOX...

Afterwards we headed on the glacier forest walk where we got to see the glacier relatively closely. A glacier is an ice flow in which the snow deposits quicker than the ice melts – so glaciers actually grow! Whilst taking photos we noticed tiny microscopic figures in a line walking along the ice. Lucky folks!

We returned home from our little adventure into town and had dinner later that evening at the Scenic Hotel Glasshouse restaurant. I ordered the ‘Fish of the Day’, Monk fish served on top of creamy potatoes, along with a local Riesling (which was pretty nice and fruity). Shte1 had for herself the Egyptian Lamb rump marinated in herbs and macadamias, which had the two of us salivating. Again, I wish I brought my camera along!

Back to the villa for an early night again. It’s a good thing these places are well heated as it was quite chilly during the evenings.

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Next: Wanaka - picturesque drive, Stuart Landsborough Puzzling World, and Te Wanaka B&B