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Wed 19 Nov 2014
Sadly we say goodbye to Queenstown, the excitement and adrenaline rushes.
Off we go bound for the Franz Josef Glacier, some 350 klm. We continue to drive through alpine forests, sheep & deer. The scenery continues to amaze us - towering mountains (some wooded others looking like moonscapes), deep gorges, waterfalls and snow - extra as we had overnight rain & snow down to 1,500 meters.
The area also grows a lot of cherries and soon we came to Mrs Jones' fruit market & gardens. This is renowned throughout the area for fresh fruit & veges. The fruit display was brilliant. The gardens are also a feast for the eyes with roses, rhododendrons, box hedges, clematis, and almost everything in flower. Unfortunately we are about 3 weeks early for the cherry picking season so missed on on some local produce.
Continuing on we travel through the area steeped in history relating to settlement and the goldmining era before reaching Lake Wanaka, a picturesque settlement on the lake's edge with snow-capped mountains as a back drop for a photo op.
Heading further west we continue through Lake Hawea & Makarora before entering Haast Pass, the alpine pass through to the western side of the alpines.
Travelling through the Mt Aspiring and Westland National Parks we descended the mountains to arrive on the west coast. This is a spectacular stretch of coastline extending far north from the Glacier Region, hemmed in by the ocean and high mountains. The costal scenery is wild, wind-swept & isolated - mainly dense sub-tropical bushland. We visited a conservation centre which was very interesting.
We arrive into Village of Fox Glacier and proceed directly to the glacier face. Unfortunately, roadworks prevented us from travelling any further toward to glacier. The only other access to the Glacier is by helicopter which a number of our group did the next morning. We turned around and make our way to our hotel for the night in Franz Josef. A beautiful village surrounded by snow capped mountains.
Today's temperatures: Min 12 (Queenstown) Max 16 (Franz Josef)
Today's insights:
The west coast of New Zealand does not have any sea port - it is too shallow. Passenger liners are able to enter Milford sound but are unable to dock. All shipping docks and major ports on the east coast.
The Mt Aspiring National Park is home to the remaining 68 pairs of Kaka - New Zealand's only native forest parrot.
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