Haast-West Coast-Fox & Franz Josef Glacier-Hokitika - Day 5 in New Zealand

28.01.2014

For my $110 a night, I at least had a room with many mosquitoes and no wardrobe. So my blazer and blouses stay in the car again. I will be carrying these clothes through New Zealand for days, maybe even wear them on the cruise from Auckland to Perth...

I have killed the mosquitoes and there is no soluble coffee in the room. Only tea. That's fine. Normally, in every motel, you always get fresh milk from the owner, often in a small milk jug or as a quarter liter bottle. Nice gesture.

Haast Downtown

I get a salmon/cucumber sandwich and a coffee from the cafe next door, which looked bankrupt yesterday, but is now open. The sun is shining, but it's only 11 degrees. I drive over the bridge across the very wide Haast River, where - as in many rivers here - only huge rocks are lying. If it rains here, it's probably a biblical flood and within hours it becomes a raging monster.

The bridge is one lane, and because it is so long and you may not be able to see the other end, they have built a passing place in the middle of the bridge. 

Behind the bridge, I enter the bush. Huge ferns, incredibly tall trees - completely different from the landscape in the mountains yesterday.

I finally reach the sea after a few kilometers. The sandflies are annoying and I continue driving. The road curves upwards and I am soon at Knights Point, which is even a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Knights Point

A few photos and I continue. A few kilometers further, I reach a bay and an endless beach with an incredible amount of driftwood - an amazing sight.

I drive to a lake somewhere, but I'm not very excited except for the portable toilet, and the sandflies are annoying. I see a wood pigeon, as a lady tells me.

I reach Fox Glacier shortly after 12 o'clock. So I have wasted another 3 hours to drive the 150km. But it was all beautiful. I turn right into the 4 km long side road, which is asphalted up to about 300 m before the parking lot. A beautiful view of the glacier in front of me, but even more amazing is the wide drain next to the parking lot, where huge blocks of ice tumble around.

Without thinking much, I start walking towards the glacier. It should take about an hour round trip. I look at the clock and I still think if I should treat myself to it, but I start walking. The trail always leads along the river, which is formed by the glacier water. Sometimes over small side streams coming from the mountains. I'm glad I have my hiking shoes on. It gets quite steep and my lungs burn. But in the end, the view is incredible.

With the help of my telephoto lens, I can take beautiful detailed shots.

Below the viewpoint, there is a group of glacier trekkers, and they look really dangerous standing right on the edge of a crevasse.

As I change lenses again, I think to myself: Where is your wallet anyway...? I can't find it in my backpack and panic sets in. I hurry back, stumble and fall on my face, now I have a bruised knee and small holes in my pants, but the wallet patiently waits in the car when I come down. First water, an apple - take a deep breath - and then continue.

I leave the township of Fox Glacier behind and drive another 40km to Franz Josef Glacier. Now the weather has changed, and it is completely cloudy. The Franz Josef is supposed to be the more beautiful of the two glaciers, but without visibility, it doesn't matter. I take a short hike that promises "splendid views on the glacier" without being a real uphill hike (I've had enough of those and it's already half past two).

The viewpoint above a small pond is disappointing. I continue walking because I hope there will be more views afterwards, but turn around after half an hour.

The trail leads through the bush, I see plants that I have never seen before, flowers, pods, and moss. I see a bird with a funny tail.

During the drive, I pick up a hitchhiker who turns out to be a nurse from Berlin, traveling around with her friend for 5 months. They bought a car that now has a brake problem. She wants to go to the workshop after the hike to Franz Josef to get something from the car. I drive her there and then back to Franz Josef Township, and we chat about hospitals in Berlin, Vivantes. 

I continue driving, and half an hour later, on the right, is the massif of Mount Cook and others, and they have cleared up. The clouds move away as you watch and reveal a magnificent panorama.

I now drive through a wide plain, sometimes it looks like mudflats or marshland, and there are many cattle here.

In the town of Ross, I see funny signs and a relatively nice town (at least the one street that is usually there), but I continue driving and head towards Hokitika.

Actually, I had thought about driving over half of Arthur's Pass, but the sun is shining so beautifully and it promises a beautiful sunset by the sea.

Hokitika has some quite old houses. The town used to make its wealth from gold finds. I check out a few motels and a B&B and then find one for $120, which is quite nice.

Hokitika

The driftwood sculptures are still on the beach, which are part of a competition. I take photos and sit down on the sunny terrace of a hotel/restaurant and treat myself to a beer and a delicious dinner with a sunset foreground.

I'm glad I stayed here. I go to the beach for sunset.

Sunset in Hokitika

When it gets dark, I drive to a dark path to the right of the main road going north, where glow worms hang on a rock face. It's called Glow worm dell. The longer you stand there, the more you see.

Glow worms ;-))

I even manage to take photos. So I can save myself the excursion from the ship to any caves, especially since you can't or aren't allowed to take pictures there. Here, there was a post where I could put down the camera.

In the motel, I start a washing machine at half past ten. Unfortunately, the dryer is unwilling to do anything except swallow my $2. So I hang my damp clothes all over my room.

I am in bed at midnight.

Driving distance: 280 km