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T&KonTour
Sunday 13 March, Franz Joseph to Wanaka
By 6.30am we were up, had breakfast, and were on the road to the Franz Josef Glacier, so we were the second car in the car park (and the other guy stayed overnight). We walk up the glacial river valley to nearly 700m from the end of the glacier. Bluish ice-cold water rushing down the river with blocks of crystal-clear ice along the edges. A great sunrise on the top of the glacier, contrasting with the grey rock down the U-shaped valley, sculpted by the ice over thousands of years. We return to the car park a couple of hours later to find it almost full. A very busy place, but we definitely had the best of it early in the morning.
We drive down route 6 to Fox Glacier, which is a small one-street town catering to the tourists. We grab a coffee while Colin fills up the Toyota. Next stop is a short drive off the main road to Lake Matheson. Kathy vividly remembers it from her holiday over 30 years ago, but it's all changed, big surprise! Back then you could drive to the lake, but now there is a cafe, shop etc. some 2.5km walk from the lake. Admittedly it was a nice walk through temperate rainforest on a formed track. The lake was worth it though, with a perfect mirror image of the view reflected in the still water. We didn't get a view of Mount Cook due to the cloud, but it was still a Kodak moment!
Our lunch spot was at the Hard Antler Bar & Restaurant in Haast for pumpkin soup and garlic bread. Real country feel, and good soup! The drive to Wanaka was 2 hours of mountain scenery through Thunder Gorge. We stopped to take photos from the bridge which was a bit interesting as there were no footpaths. We arrive in Wanaka and go straight to the visitor centre, as the Wyndham Resort address was not in Gromit's atlas (GPS). The boys go shopping for a few necessities and then meet the girls in the bar for Happy Hour. We decide to make it a cheap night and order pizzas in, together with some salads from the New World supermarket (Coles to you and I).
By 6.30am we were up, had breakfast, and were on the road to the Franz Josef Glacier, so we were the second car in the car park (and the other guy stayed overnight). We walk up the glacial river valley to nearly 700m from the end of the glacier. Bluish ice-cold water rushing down the river with blocks of crystal-clear ice along the edges. A great sunrise on the top of the glacier, contrasting with the grey rock down the U-shaped valley, sculpted by the ice over thousands of years. We return to the car park a couple of hours later to find it almost full. A very busy place, but we definitely had the best of it early in the morning.
We drive down route 6 to Fox Glacier, which is a small one-street town catering to the tourists. We grab a coffee while Colin fills up the Toyota. Next stop is a short drive off the main road to Lake Matheson. Kathy vividly remembers it from her holiday over 30 years ago, but it's all changed, big surprise! Back then you could drive to the lake, but now there is a cafe, shop etc. some 2.5km walk from the lake. Admittedly it was a nice walk through temperate rainforest on a formed track. The lake was worth it though, with a perfect mirror image of the view reflected in the still water. We didn't get a view of Mount Cook due to the cloud, but it was still a Kodak moment!
Our lunch spot was at the Hard Antler Bar & Restaurant in Haast for pumpkin soup and garlic bread. Real country feel, and good soup! The drive to Wanaka was 2 hours of mountain scenery through Thunder Gorge. We stopped to take photos from the bridge which was a bit interesting as there were no footpaths. We arrive in Wanaka and go straight to the visitor centre, as the Wyndham Resort address was not in Gromit's atlas (GPS). The boys go shopping for a few necessities and then meet the girls in the bar for Happy Hour. We decide to make it a cheap night and order pizzas in, together with some salads from the New World supermarket (Coles to you and I).
- comments
Jo you look like you were having a ball.