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On 6th July we left wet Christchurch at 8:15am and jumped onto the Tranzalpine railway which takes us from the Pacific Ocean in the East to the Tasman Sea in the West. The 4 hour journey goes through Arthur’s Pass and ends inGreymouth. It was a very relaxed way to get to the West Coast. Unfortunately if it wasn’t for the train trip (considered in the top 6 train journeys in the world), I don’t think anyone would intentionally go to Greymouth. It was a town established in the 1800’s supporting coal mining and looked a very depressing place. I would have to say if NZ needed an enema, this is one of the places they would put the tube.
We picked up the hire car and left Greymouth lickety split. Our destination was Franz Josef a 2 hour drive away. It was 4:45pm when we arrived and we were given an upgrade to our rooms which was great. Big king bed far enough away from Jane so she can’t hit me when I snore.
7th July. Beautiful still and sunny day (far cry from Christchurch). We had pre organised a guided walk to the Glacier and thinking it would be cold and wet had packed thermals and jackets. Our guide Brett turned up in shorts and a T shirt. Alex referred to him as hot Brett or Big Dog Brett. The tour was 3 hrs, taking us within 750 metres of the Glaciers face (closest you can get unless you pay for a helicopter flight). The Glacier has retreated at least a kilometre in the last 10 years. While it is natural for a Glacier to retreat, it has been more rapid in the last 50 years, most probably due to global warming.
Part of the ticket price was a soak in the hot pools (heated by LP gas and not geothermal). No smell of sulphur like Rotorua, just that beautiful smell of chlorine. There were 3 pools all at different temps. One at 36 degrees, one at 38 degrees and for the real men, one at 40 degrees. Alex said my face went as red as a baboon arse. Lucky I took my hypertensive medication otherwise I could have popped a vessel. After more than an 8 km walk it as great to soak those aching muscles.
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