Now its getting a bit last minute as we rush up north, but its worth doing rather than not doing it at all. The drive up to Fox Glacier was impressive as the scenery changes from glacially formed to created by rivers and the sediments from. The vegetation changes as well, so we were tropical rainforest by the time we reached the coast. The views of Lake Hawae and the north part of Lake Wanaka were breathtaking (Im getting bored of that word).
The road followed the coast perfectly most of the time, swinging in and out, with mountains on the right and the waters of the Tasman sea on the left. Fox Glacier is a very small town indeed; with one petrol station and one store come grocery come newsagent it was a peaceful place. Ivory towers backpackers seemed nice enough, and it had good views over town. Another classic example of paper walls, but beggars and backpackers cant be choosers.
We tried to organise the skydive for the following day, and as I got up at 0700 I realised I might as well go straight back to bed. The rain was coming down like curtains at a toddlers party. Instead we waited for a dry spell and then walked to the glacier. A rock fall had closed the path, but being adventurers we ignored the ropes and signs and walked up to the glacier, and noticed the 50 or so other adventurers. I climbed to the glacier itself and broke a chunk off. I like touching things and a big ice cube is no different. Its got almost a paste inside the ice from crushed rock and it makes your hands filthy and its GREAT!
Another night at Fox glacier, after trying and failing to get a reflection of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman in Lake Matheson, and we headed north. The plan was to get to Picton by 2030 that same day, as we had a ferry to catch. We passed through Franz Joseph township, near the glacier of the same name, stopped for petrol at the dreary town of Greymouth, grey by name and nature. We wanted to get to Hokitiki as its a big craft centre. In the end while most of the greenstone is found in the southern island, most of the Maori carvers are in the north island especially around Rotorua. i did persuade Cathy to come to the Kiwi sanctuary. There was a mental one legged Kiwi and a couple of others lurking in the dark.
Once we left Hokitiki, there was no hanging about and taking turns at the wheel we drove to Picton, taking the coast road north before missing Nelson and taking the inland road to Blenheim, arriving at Picton at 2027, pretty damn good.
We boarded the frry, found a space to sleep and tried to, if it hadnt been for some hard of hearing sheepshearers. While they couldnt hear each other, everyone else on board could here everything. It was 1am by the time we hit Wellington and I drove Cathy up to Mount Cook to take in the view of the harbour and the city, then we drove to Pukerua Bay near Muri, parked up and went to sleep.
I awoke to the sound of seagulls, the waves, and Leftfield at an earbleeding volume as Cathy turned the car to ignition to see the clock. Apart from the rude awakening, it was a lovely day and we drove for most of it, stopping only briefly for a stretch and fresh air by Lake Taupo before cruising into Rotorua. We rang the first place, Spa Lodge and they had space to we wandered over and tried to get over the stench. To say Rotorua smells nice is saying the US has an ethical foreign policy. The hot springs creep out of gardens, cracks in the roadside and on hills surrounding the town, so steam just appears from nowhere. The craft shops (such a patronising phrase) are great, with lots of greenstone carving. Its very touristy but who cares,
you have to see all sides.
The hot mud pools and geysers were great, although the geysers didnt perform for us, well, only a little. The Tamaki Maori Cultural village was our next stop in the evening. An honest and sincere expression of their culture Id like to think. We saw the challenge for when another tribe comes to visit, some songs and explanation of weaponary, a Haka was performed and then we ate a feast, a hangi, cooked in an earth oven. If it means that people are educated about the culture then I dont care about the number of coaches filled with tourists.
Its getting whistlestop now. Onwards to Waitomo and we saw the limestone caves to the north of Waitomo and the Waitomo caves themselves. The Limestone caves are huge, extending hundreds of metres below ground. Years were needed to chart the caves. The Glowworm caves down the road were spectacular and worth seeing, more so for feeding the noisy father and daughter to the glowworms. The spectacle should be enjoyed in absolute silence, as u need to be able to take in the site. Its like looking at a green map of the stars. So alien and so beautiful.
Back in the car, lets get to Auckland.
There was no room at the Brown Kiwi, the hostel in Ponsonby that I keep going back to, but Cathy was feeling generous and paid for us to stay at Mollies. This very classy motel has just been refurbished. There is antique furniture in the minimalistically decorated rooms. Perhaps styled too much with bachelors in mind, it was still luxury compared to the hostels. In the kitchen was a DISHWASHER!!!! WASHING MACHINE AND DRYER. The rooms were underfloor heated, and there were large TV's in the two bedrooms and lounge. The bathroom had a separate bath and shower, and both bedrooms were ensuite. The fridge and freezer were huge, the sheets expensive and this cost less than 50 pounds. Luxury. Better than a hotel room and nicer than the nicest motel.
Now it was time to move on, I had to sell the car and Cathy had to return home.
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