The Wonderful World of Ice at Franz Josef Glacier

Franz Josef, South Island

Days 5-6

Fun Fact: New Zealand has 3,155 glaciers. 18 of them are in the North Island with the remaining in the South Island. Franz Josef is the 5th largest in New Zealand with the steepest commercial climbing available.

After our incredible adventure in Kaikoura, and our long drive to Greymouth for the night, our next stop was to head south 235 kilometres to the township of Franz Josef, known for the breathtaking views of Franz Josef and Fox Glacier at Westland National Park.

The afternoon was a relaxing one catching up on emails and doing some laundry. We did take a short hour hike in the small town just north of Franz Josef called Okarito. The town is known to have a specific species of Kiwi that are only found there, but unfortunately, we didn’t see any on our hike. After climbing up the side of a really tall hill (it felt like a mountain, especially since we were expecting a pleasant stroll through the forest) we came upon an opening that looked out over the town of Okarito and the largest wetlands in all of New Zealand.

The next morning, we woke up for our 9:15 am full day glacier hike on Franz Josef Glacier. One really can’t put into words how large this thing really is. Just to give you an example, notice the picture below of the group of people walking on the glacier. It is not only enormous, but really hard to capture the beauty and magnitude of its size.

We spent 8 hours total hiking and 6 hours on the ice. It was about a 10km hike up rugged terrain and over ice, but with our crampons over our hiking boots, it made it quite easy to manoeuvre over the ice.

By the end of our cold and tiresome day, we had agreed that once again we had a once of a lifetime experience on our incredible journey through New Zealand.

Tomorrow’s agenda will be driving south 180kms to Lake Wanaka to see what it has it store for us!

Wines, Whales and getting wet with the Dusky Dolphins

Blenheim and Kaikoura - South Island, New Zealand

Days 3-5

Total Driving distance: 1153 kms/ 716 miles

Fun Fact: Kaikoura comes from the Maori word meaning Kai = to eat and koura = crayfish

Our day started with a journey from the North to the South Island along the Interislander Ferry. The 3-hour sail through the Cook Strait from Wellington to Picton was quite beautiful with majestic views of Queen Charlotte Sound.

We were originally planned to stay in Blenheim and do a bit of wine tasting, but changed our plans and drove further south to what used to be a whaling town in Kaikoura. We did make time to stop at the Montana winery in Blenheim while passing through for a delicious lunch and wine before heading to Kaikoura.

The quaint seaside town used to be known for killing whales over a century ago, but now finds prosperity in showing them off, along with the various other marine life such as albatross, fur seals, and dusky dolphins. The rest of the afternoon was nice and lazy as we took a stroll along the black rocky beach and took a quick nap in the sun while listening to the gentle waves hit the shore.

The next morning we got up bright and early for a full day starting with the dolphin encounter. Out of all the diving we have done, Kaes and I both agreed that this was one of the most memorable experiences we have ever had. After just a 10 minute boat ride, the captain let all of us off to get in the water to swim with the frisky mammals. We all had on 10 mm wetsuits, but the water was 14 degrees Celsius, which is 57 degrees Farenheit. I can’t begin to express how cold the water really was, but as soon as the dolphins were playing and circling us, we quickly forgot the sacrifice it took to see them in groups between 10-20 at a time, all very interested in what we were. Along with the dolphins, we saw the albatross soaring over the water with the longest wing span of any bird (pictured below) and playful fur seals. The pictures were taken when we got out of the water as we didn't bring our underwater camera :(

After our exciting morning, we didn’t think the day could get much better, but we were wrong. Our afternoon ended with Whale Watch Kaikoura. We saw a Sperm whale that was around 70 feet long stretching across the waters acquiring more oxygen before diving back down into the deep waters.

The day was one of the most memorable we have ever had. It is hard to describe the beauty and richness of New Zealand. Pictures do not begin to do it justice. We were scheduled to end up in Greymouth for the night, some 310 kilometres away. It was a long 5 hour drive through mountains and passes, but we could not have asked for a more perfect day.

Knocking on Hell’s Gate in Lake Rotorua & Lake Taupo

North Island, New Zealand

Days 1-3

Transportation: Air New Zealand flight from Perth to Auckland, 6 hours; Jucy Rentals for campervan; Interislander Ferry from Wellington to Picton

Total Driving distance: 703 kms/ 422 miles

Fun Fact: Sheep outnumber people 20 to 1 in New Zealand

Our adventure began landing into Auckland International Airport on October 23 at 6:00 am New Zealand time. New Zealand is 5 hours ahead of Perth time and 18 hours ahead of Houston time. It happened to be Labor Day weekend and we weren’t able to pick up our campervan until 11:00 am. Since we missed a night of sleep and didn’t get much rest on the plane, we stretched out on a few benches in the airport until time came closer to start our adventure. Once 11:00 rolled around, we were picked up by Jucy rentals, got our Jucy Charga, and were on our way.

First stop was Lake Rotorua, known for its energetic thermal activities and mud baths. Since it happened to be my birthday, Kaes and I decided to stop at Hells Gate (this is the only time I ever wanted to be in “Hell”) for a mud bath & spa. Hells Gate is the most active thermal reserve in Rotorua. The strong smell of sulphur was not pleasant, but the warm relaxing mud bath quickly made you forget the smell and was a great way to end our day.

Our next stop was in Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand covering 240 sq miles. Lake Taupo was formed by volcanic explosions from thousands of years ago and is now known to be the most famous trout fishing lake in the world, yielding in excess of 500 tonnes of rainbow trout annually. The drive around the town was amazing to say the least. I had always heard New Zealand was beautiful, but really had no idea that a place like this existed. The cute tourist town had shops, perfectly manicured gardens, and outdoor restaurants and pubs to enjoy the great weather and view of the lake.

Taupo is known for its picturesque scenery of lake views and snow capped mountains but also for the Waikato River and the spectacular Huka Falls. The full force of the river soars over an 11-metre (36 ft) ledge with enough water to fill two Olympic –sized pools every second. The brilliant turquoise color of the water crashes into a basin below, offering breathtaking views.

Our last stop for the evening was south where we stayed in the small beach town of Otaki at Byron’s Resort. Bright and early the next morning, we got ready and headed further south 70 kms to the ferry from Wellington to Picton, commencing our journey into the South Island.