Hello and welcome again to this week’s mrlukeniktravels blog, coming this week from Fox Glacier, New Zealand. I am now into the final month of my time in New Zealand before heading off to pastures new. It certainly feels a long time ago that I land all the way up in Auckland at the beginning of October. Although it is just after lunchtime as I write it has been a long day already, more on that later. In true upland style the weather has been erratic. Such unpredictability is to be expected when I find myself surrounded by mountains, glaciers and lakes. I am making the most of a lull in activity in the hostel to write commit some thoughts to prosperity. I just wish someone would end the continuous Jack Johnson playlist coming out of the PA system…
This week, in common with last, I have been making the most of the mountains and getting out into them. I am currently based in Fox Glacier Village, about 20kms from the better known Franz Josef Glacier. This being New Zealand the drive between the two seems much further winding around roads cut out of the mountains. There are some pretty steep and tight turns involved in navigating Highway 6 in this region. For the drive down from Hokitika I gave a lift to Czech and Chilean (no, not the wine) backpackers which was fun. Our combined weight, including luggage, certainly gave the car’s gearbox a workout once in the mountains! It was great to chat whilst driving and share experiences, suggestions and tips for travelling adventures. Topics discussed ranged from the light-hearted to the deep which is nice to get the viewpoint of people from other cultures. We made a few stops for photos on the way, something I think will happen regularly during this trip.
The first two days in the region spent exploring the two glaciers, Fox being the small of the two. Seeing how far they have retreated even within my lifetime is a very obvious reminder of the effects of global warming is having on our planet. With nearly 16m of annual rainfall at the peaks, there seems plenty of food to feed the glaciers. I got taste of some of that rain on Saturday afternoon when it absolutely poured down. No wonder everything is so lush and green around here in the summertime! The glaciers themselves are around an hour’s hike from their respective settlements, the distance increasing every year as they retreat. At one time they extended right out over what is now Gillespie Beach. The views from the surrounding mountains are spectacular, weather permitting. This region of New Zealand also contains Mt Cook and Mt Tasman, the highest and second-highest mountains in the country. Much of the Southern Alps are capped with snow all year. My early start this morning meant I could watch the sunrise over the twin peaks and their reflection in nearby Lake Matheson. Such a lovely experience.
During the daytime here there is the constant sound of helicopters and light aircraft overhead. These provide scenic flights of the glaciers and the opportunity to skydive. When the cloud base is low I am yet to be convinced that there is too much to see on one of those trips. Although the pull of completing a skydive here is strong, I shall wait until another time as it is very expensive here. There will be plenty of opportunities to do a jump at my next stop on this trip. I have my eye on one over the Great Barrier Reef, but we will have to see. I have already leapt off a perfectly serviceable platform tied to a bungee rope in Taupo in New Zealand. To read about that experience you can find it here: https://mrlukeniktravels.com/2018/11/19/it-gets-dark-with-the-lights-out-lake-taupo/
That is almost all for this week’s blog from Fox Glacier, New Zealand. Soon I shall be heading south again towards the outdoor capital of New Zealand, Queenstown. I am sure there will be plenty to see on the journeys too, looking out the window of the care is an easy distraction! By next Monday I shall be in Queenstown having stopped off for a few days in Wanaka. Until the next post there is my Twitter feed which can be found on @mrlukeniktravel. Pictorial satisfaction can be assured by checking out my Instagram account, @mrlukeniktravels. Once again, if you can’t bear to miss a single post then please subscribe using the button below to receive an email every time I upload a post. With all of that said until next time, as always, stay safe and travel on!
P.S. Apologies for the late posting, limited Internet was available in the village. Nobody wants to pay extra to access greater download limits- seriously can’t everywhere just be unlimited?!
