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Today we arrived in Franz Josef, home to the Franz Josef glacier just down the road for Fox glacier. The foot today is lets say huge!!! The pharmacist just gives me so antihistamines but after speaking to a doctor on the bus discover i have actuall got celluitis of the right foot and it will continue to spread unless i get antibiotics, the thing is Franz Josef is a bit out the way!! It will have to wait a day.
The journey was fine, and as always the scenary is spectacular, especially as we're now in amongst the southern alps. We arrived at 1ish with a little time to explore the town before heading up the glacier for a half day hike. We got kitted out with old army boots, jackets and some pretty big spikes and off we went. I pretty much need a size bigger for my right foot, it was apparent that a vist to the docs in queenstown might be on the table. To get the the glacier we had to walk over the bed it use to sit on, it has retreated quite alot over the years (global warming!!!!) and we also had to walk into the bush and through streams and waterfalls to get to the foot of the glacier. Its a pretty awesome sight, 1km wide by 6km in length of pure ice!! We had around 2 hours on the ice which was pretty good fun, the guide in the fornt had to continuously cut away the ice steps for us but we still had to use those big spikes!! We were able to walf through crevases and next to some pretty deep holes where you could here the distance sound of water from the river below the glacier, there's no way you want to fall down there, a bit chilly me thinks!!! We climbed of the ice to the center and back to the hostel where we made some very nice pasta and tuna. Next on the trip is Queenstown.
Sarah should be doing the next bit of commentary so i hope all is well from me and speak to everyone soon.
Dunc (and Sarah of course)
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