The coast, the rain forrest and the glacier

Thursday the 2nd til Saturday the 4th of January: The drive to Franz Joseph was again very beautiful, I think my travel mate may grow tired of my constant Ohhs and Ahhs 😂 The route took us through mountains and along the coast. In Franz Joseph the climate is very humid and you find different kinds of vegetation, depending how close you come to the glacier. You have a rain forrest, but also plains with only a few bushes. On Friday I did the short hike to Franz Joseph Glacier and another short one in its surroundings. It is quite shocking when you see the different markings along the way, were the glacier used to be. Once it stretched all the way to the see, now it's 19 km inland, declining fast. On Saturday we made our way to Wanaka. The drive there was amazing. We stopped a couple of times, also visiting the blue pools, which have really earned their name. I would have loved to take a dip (despite the freezing cold water) but we didn't want to linger too long, as the drive to Wanaka was quite long and tiring. Though arriving in Wanaka, we knew instantly, that it had been worth it!