WANAKA AND DUNEDIN

The morning after the Franz Josef climb every muscle in my body was aching, it was hard to walk,but I am still so glad that I did it.
Rachel and I got up early and took the bus to Wanaka where she was due to start work at a ski resort in a few days and I was going to travel on my own again.
Once more the bus driver was very friendly and informative. He gave us a guided tour of the region we were passing through and he stopped at various points for us to take photographs of the most breathtaking views.

I just cannot believe just how beautiful the south island of New Zealand is. The further I travel in it the better it seems to become. At Thunder Falls we saw a rainbow glistening through the waterfall, it was magical to see.

Being prepared I packed a flask of hot water and made us cups of coffee by the roadside when the bus stopped for photo breaks !!Nothing like a nice cup of coffee!!!
I was blown away by the beauty of lake Hawea on route to Wanaka.

The town of Wanaka is the gateway to Mt Aspiring national park, a mountainous area in the north western Otago and southern Westland that was earmarked as a National Park in 1964 and named after its highest peak, Mt Aspiring (3027m). It has more than 100 glaciers and sheer mountains and it covers 3500sq km of the Southern Alps, from the Haast River in the north to its border with Fiordland National park in the south. Lake Wanaka is so beautiful, surrounded by snow capped mountains.
We were dropped off out our respective hostels.
I was in a dorm with three other women and we had a great view of the mountains in the distance from the window.
Rachel had found out that she had a few days before she had to start her training, so the next day we hired a car and drove to Dunedin, about three and a half hours drive from Wanaka. Over the most glorious countryside and mountain roads.
Dunedin is the south islands second largest city after Christchurch, and the home of New Zealands first university.There is a statue of Robert Burns in the centre, because the place was founded by Scottish settlers.
We had a wander round Dunedin and saw the historic railway station
and various churches, before stopping for a coffee in the area called ,The Octagon.
But we were not particularly impressed with the place. We had been told that the worlds steepest road, Baldwin street, was in Dundedin.We decided to check it out. Well if this is the steepest road..I am a Dutch uncle!!!
(we have since heard that is is now being described as the steepest road in New Zealand ..which is a bit more like it!).As we drove back to Wanaka the roads became quite icy over the mountain pass, so we took our time. Later that night we watched the second England V all Blacks game...guess what England lost again!!!
SAD FACES BECAUSE ENGLAND LOST!

Luckily we found the most amazing bar with outdoor fireplaces. We sat and had a good natter and a couple of gin and tonics to drown our sorrows.

FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER

Rachel and I got up early feeling very nervous about the Franz Josef Glacier climb. We had heard from a lot of people that the all day trek is very arduous and that we might find it too much. But both of us were determined to do the full day. We felt that we would be disappointed in ourselves if we turned back after half a day. We also knew that we were not as fit as we possibly could be to attempt the climb.
With that in mind we arrived at the office to get kitted up. They give you waterproofs, boots, hats, gloves and a bum bag with your crampons in. You also get told that if you do the full day but need to turn back and be taken off the glacier, you pay for the cost of being taken off by helicopter, so you have to be sure you want to do it. After a little chat Rachel and I reaffirmed that we were in for the longhaul!!
We boarded the bus that takes you to the start of the Franz Josef Glacier. Then you have to walk 2km over the river bed. To where the ice starts
The unique combination of climate and shape means that Franz Josef and the nearby Fox Glacier move at approximately 10 times the speed of other valley glaciers around the world. Glaciers constantly advance and retreat, held in delicate balance by the accumulation of snow gained in the upper glacier and ice melting in the lower part. An increase in snowfall at the neve will result in the glacier advancing. Correspondingly a faster melt will result in the glacier retreating. At times Franz Josef can move up to 5m a day. That is over ten times as fast as glaciers in the Swiss alpes. Nowhere else at this latitude have glaciers advanced so close to the sea.
We all stopped at the base and got instructions on how to attach the crampons.(they are metal spikes that fit over the boots to help you stay upright on the ice)
The glaciers are very steep so the ice can travel a long way before it finally melts. We now had to climb the mighty cascades of ice. A specialist guide went ahead to carve out our route for today. It changes constantly so he works out our safest route.


We divided up into smaller groups and the advance party cut steps out of the ice in some of the steepest bits. We went in the last but one group so that the paths had been well and truely cut out of the ice for us.
It was still hard going in sections and our guide hacked away at the steps that needed widening when we got to them. Other sections were roped. We where given instructions on how to hold onto the ropes as we climbed. It was very exciting and the views were amazing, so at times you did not really notice how hard it was to climb. We also went through some very narrow ice passages.


We were lucky again with the weather, there was sunshine all day. We had our thermals on but managed to take our jackets off for most of the climb. It was fantastic to look back and see just how far we had climbed when we sat on the ice for your break.
Our guide was always warning us that all around us there were sharp drops and deep holes we could fall into. That hit home when Rachel slipped on the ice as we were taking a break and we just managed to grab her before she went over the side..it was very scary!

(I did not use the axe ...it was heavy enough just holding it to pose for the picture)

We spent six and a half hours on the glacier itself. Later in the day when the sun went in the temperatures fell dramatically and at the same time we got really tired.

So the climb down and the 2km walk to the bus over the rough terraine really did wipe the smile off everyones faces. We just wanted to get back to the hostel to rest and get warm. We were well and truely shattered by the time we arrived back at the hostel. We could only just muster up enough energy to eat a takeaway and slob by the fire. But we were both very proud of ourselves for doing the whole day climb. We would not have missed it for the world.

THE TRANSALPINE

We left Christchurch early one morning on the Transalpine train that runs from Christchurch to Greymouth, via Arthur's pass.It is one of the great train journeys of the world.

Again we were blessed with lovely weather so we were lucky enough to see the amazing views on offer. The four and a half hour journey begins near the Pacific Ocean and ends by the Tasman Sea. There are a bewildering variety of scenes along the way.
Thankfully we could use a couple of outside viewing carriages to get good photographs.But you had to wrap up warm because there was an icy wind blowing. It took me a while to get used to the timing of getting to the carriages though. Everytime I saw a stretch that I wanted to take photographs of, I took so long to get my jacket on and get to the outside viewing carriage, we had passed it and I only had the tree lined sections to photograph!! But I got better and managed to catch some good images.

Although they do not really convey the beauty of what we saw. The train sped past the foothills of the southern alps ,then it entered a labyrinth of gorges and hills , known as the staircase. It emerges from tunnels into valleys where the vistas are out of this world.
At Arthur's pass it travels though a tunnel that is eight and a half km long.
Finally it passes lake Brunner ,which is fringed with cabbage trees, before arriving in Greymouth at around one o clock in the afternoon. I am not really a train person but I am so glad that I did this journey.
From Greymouth we got the bus to Franz Josef.
The bus drivers here in New Zealand are fantastic. They give you a guided tour as they make their way around this beautiful country. They seem so proud of their surroundings that they want everyone to get the most from it. They tell you all the facts about the history of the places you see around you. Often pointing out key things you may otherwise not notice.
We got a clear view of Mount Cook in the distance(He said that we were lucky, because the peak was in full view. Apparently it spends most of its time hidden behind clouds at this time of year!)Mount Cook at 3755m is the highest peak in Australasia.It was named after Captain Janes Cook.

It is also no trouble for them to stop at the best vantage points for photographs. This way the journey goes quickly and you get to see areas you would otherwise have roared past on the bus trip. But dispite their willingness to impart information there will always be those who were out partying until all hours, who prefer to sleep their way on the buses around New Zealand ,whatever the hour, and I think that is such a waste!! but hey ho , each to their own!..

When we arrived in Franz Josef it was very very cold, but thankfully they had a large open fire at the hostel and free saunas, so we did the usual.... Sauna, eat then slob by the fire...heaven!

Anyway we needed the rest, because tomorrow we were doing the Franz Josef eight hour Glacier climb!!

ROAD TRIP TO CHRISTCHURCH

We set off early and enjoyed the drive from Kaikoura to Christchurch. We booked into the Youth Hostel,then headed out to explore the city.
It is the south islands biggest city and is often described as the most English of New Zealand's cities.
We checked out the grand Anglican cathedral in the centre and hopped onto the tram which takes you around the touristy parts of Christchurch.
It did a circuit of the city, past the river Avon and grand parks and schools. We stopped off at the old university, which has been turned into an arts centre. There was a weekend market on which was very vibrant ,with lots of unusual things on sale and a variety of ethnic foodstalls.
The next day we headed out for a ride on the Gondola to the top of mount Cavendish.
It overlooks Christchurch,Lyttelton harbour and the southern alps. We were fortunate to get some stunning views over Christchurch with the mist settling in the valley below.
We could see a road high up on the mountain to the left of us, so we set out to find out where it went.

And we were treated to some even more spectacular views from suger Loaf pass.
We had a walk around the top, but unfortunately we had to find our way back down to take the hire car back. But I am glad that we ventured off the beaten track to explore.

ROAD TRIP AS FAR AS KAIKOURA

We continued to celebrate the success of our skydive, then we headed off for a walk to the geographical centre of New Zealand, which is up a very steep hill on the outskirts of Nelson, through the botanical gardens.
For some reason it sent the three of us barmy and we felt the need to clamber up onto this concrete post and jump off it !!!


Good fun was had by all!!!.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Carolyn, as she was heading off to explore the northern island. Rachel and I were very excited because we were embarking on a road trip to
Christchurch.
We hired a car with automatic controls and headed off along the most scenic drive to our first overnight stop at Kaikoura on the east coast of the south island.
(outside the youth hostel in Kaikoura...amazing views!!)

It is a stunning town with a superb setting on a bay backed by the steeply rising foothills of the Seaward Kaikouras.The first European to settle in Kaikoura was Robert Fyffe, who established a whaling station there in 1842. Many people still visit to go on whaling trips.We decided against it because it is not a particularly good time of year to spot whales and the sea was quite rough.There are also people who are willing to brave the freezing seas to say that they have swum with Dolphins....again we decided against doing that !!!!But the views from the hostel more than made up for missing out on the activities.
I got up really early one morning to watch the sunrise and I was rewarded with the most spectacular sky I have ever witnessed in my life.
Also we went for a walk along the road from the YHA and we came across colonies of Seals just lying around the roadside. Rachel nearly stepped on a big fat male seal...he was partially hidden in the grass and she thought it was a rock!!
Kaikoura is a beautiful place to visit, so picturesque and peaceful. I loved our time there.But we had to hit the road again on our road trip.
This time we drove to Hanmer Springs thermal reserve. To reach it we drove over some mountain roads where the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. When we arrived at the YHA in Hanmer we headed straight for the thermal pools.
Visitors have been soaking in the waters there for over one hundred years. Local legend says that the thermal pools were formed by fires that dropped to earth when a mountain erupted on the north island. We had a good time , but the sulphur pools took a bit of getting used to, the smell was quite pungent. We also had a steam and sauna session. Feeling very relaxed and cleansed we spent the rest of the night just chilling out by the open fire a the youth hostel. Getting ready for the last leg of the car journey to Christchurch.