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Waking to the sound of helicopters flying out to the glaciers brought back fantastic memories of the previous day. It had dawned cloudier than yesterday, neatly justifying our decision to have gone for the helicopter flight yesterday.
Nevertheless, we drove out to Gillespie Beach, which we had heard is pretty and offers great views of the mountains. We discovered it is also a popular camping spot. It certainly is a pretty beach but it was a bit too cloudy for the spectacular views though we still could still make out the glacier.
Then we made for the walk to the face of the Fox Glacier. Along the road to the car park we passed many signs indicating where the face of the glacier was at various points over the last hundred years or so. It is thought provoking to see how quickly it is receding - even quicker than my hairline! Compared with most walks we've been on, it was harder work but well worth it as we got within 200 metres of the face. It's too dangerous to go further without trained guides.
We had decided to skip walking to the face of the Franz Josef Glacier as it's not possible to get as close and we'd seen it from the air. However, some friendly Aussies had recomended the Picnic European Bakery in the Franz Josef Township, so we had to stop there for a spot of brunch. Their potato, cheese and bacon pastie was lush but beaten by their chocolate filled doughnut! We purchased a couple of cakes for the evening and some bread.
We continued our drive up the coast towards Hokitika. On the outskirts we called into the West Coast Tree Walkway, where purpose built walkways allow visitors to wander through the tree canopy plus great views of the area.
Then we moved on to the beautiful Hokitika Gorge, with it's crystal clear water and dramatic setting. On the way back we stopped at the Kowhitirangi Memorial, which marks the occasion in 1941 when Stanley Graham, a dairy farmer, went on a rampage killing several people, including policemen, initiating a 12 day manhunt before he was shot, apprehended and died from his wounds. He was New Zealand's first serial killer and this tragedy took place in an idyllic, remote tiny hamlet.
We headed for Hokitika Beach, where the sea regularly washes up greenstone, but that was not the first piece of treasure we found. The beach is currently the site of an exhibition of driftwood art, with some truly amazing pieces. After gawping at the art, we didn't have to try hard to find many pieces of greenstone, including one massive piece I found which will make a great paperweight or doorstop.
Having managed to avoid the two or three showers we'd driven through, by the time we arrived at our home for the night in Greymouth it was raining hard, so I stayed in to enjoy the bread we'd bought earlier with cheese, followed by cake.
Today we drove 320km.
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