🇳🇿 On the Franz Josef Glacier. Days 25-27

Sunday

Farewell, Te Anau! I didn't feel like driving at all, but nobody can do it. So 270km north, past Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, Lake Hayes, via Wānaka, Lake Wānaka and Lake Hawea to Wonderland Makarora. Autumn has already arrived in some areas. There are apps that turn photos into images that make them look like miniatures, like a perfect toy world (tilt shift). A lot of regions in New Zealand look like someone put the filter in before taking the picture. I think that's why the iPhone also has problems when nature looks so over-perfect (look, a superlative is even exaggerated, ts ts ts, bad style). Then the make prettier filter gets a heart attack, like the trees in autumn garb that looked unreal perfect.

Cosy wood fires burn in the ovens in the roadside cafés, too.

As you know, I'm a fan of the seas and coasts, but in New Zealand I find the interior a little more attractive. This is also due to the great blue tones of the lakes and rivers, which look simply beautiful. Bathing is somehow not that common here. When I went to Lake Te Anau yesterday, Bob looked at me in complete disbelief. I don't see people bathing anywhere, and there are no good access points to the water either.

After moving into my "chalet" at the campsite, I made myself lunch. Finally there were the green shelled mussels, which are huge and delicious. I've given four to Ken from Australia who was at a convention with his wife Nancy and who are now traveling around the country on a whim; that's about the same as a small steak😂I enjoyed mine with a view of the mountains.

Then I drove another 9km to the Blue Pools. This was advertised as a nice 10 minute walk. Was a nice walk too, but 3Km. The hanging bridges and the raging river were great. But neither the pool nor the blue could be seen, it had rained too much for that.

Not great both feet, hips, back. Miaou.

Since Easter is also being traveled here, I planned and booked in advance until April 8th. Many of the accommodations I had in mind were already fully booked. I can't plan any further because Europcar isn't responding and I may have to drive the car (the one that's in Wellington) back to Auckland within 1.5 days.

Basically I would recommend planning at least three weeks for the nicer and more interesting South Island. I have 12.5 days and am just driving. Also, I can't do everything I wanted to do: riding falls flat and Abel Tasman National Park. And just staring at the area for three days I would have found scents too. And Highway 6 is so beautiful that it should be driven in small stages.

Monday

I had 330km ahead of me, definitely too much. Great landscape on both sides, incredibly large riverbeds, deciduous trees, conifers, palm trees, ferns line the road. Very impressive and beautiful.

Suddenly the ocean was in front of me, I continued across Lake Paringa.

At Fox Glacier, I sat and admired the glacier tongue from afar from the lookout.

When I arrived at Franz Josef Glacier, I spontaneously tried to book a helicopter flight and 45 minutes later there was still one seat available for the day. It was amazing. I was scared, but the sights presented were just completely new to me. The pilot flew up Franz Josef Glacier and then down all the neighboring glaciers, and there are quite a few. It was supposed to take 25min for 295NZ$/175€, but it was around 40min. We landed on a sheltered plateau and suddenly I was standing in the snow on a glacier, crazy 🤩 We saw Aoraki/Mount Cook which is the highest mountain in New Zealand at 3,724m. There are three glaciers in the world that flow into a rainforest; these two and one in Argentina.

It was all just rubble, rock, ice, snow and still incredibly impressive.

I took a bunch of photos and videos, it was difficult for me to choose, so a bit too many 🤷‍♀️If you would like to see all the videos, please get in touch. The kitty lived at the heliport and couldn't care less about the noise.

Then I enjoyed the last 100km, the route was just beautiful.

In Ross I had rented accommodation in a holiday park, which turned out to be a container on the beach. Surprisingly cozy but definitely not suitable for more than one night.

The small shop in town was terribly stocked. If only I had gone to the last supermarket 80km before! Crap, frozen food, and a pitiful heap of fruit and veg in the fridge that should have been put out of its misery. Focus on what would be a cauliflower in a better world:

So I drove to the local pub that had burgers or burgers with fries or fries.

After the satisfying meal, I allowed myself an ice cream at sunset on the beach, where I also met my new friends from the supermarket, although they weren't inhabited.

Unfortunately, on Tuesday I said goodbye to the west coast and drove up Lewis Pass via Highway 7. Very nice, too. My destination was Hammer Springs and there again a tin bungalow on a campsite.

The boring-looking photos of the small town are only intended to give an impression of what a small town looks like here. Flat. Unspectacular. This is Reefton where I had a nice coffee break.

A surprising number of heavy-duty and oversized trucks are on the road. Pilot vehicles drive ahead and behind, the

Warn other road users.

I bought two steaks at the local supermarket, which turned out to be some of the best I've ever tasted.

There are BBQ facilities almost everywhere here, i.e. gas grills at huts, on campsites, public. It was formidable.

Europcar wrote. They want an additional $2,500 for nine more days. Almost two weeks ago they told me almost $500. It's a nightmare with them. I'll try to rebook the flight again and get the hell out of here, I really don't enjoy it anymore with them on my back. Over 30 emails! It's really stressful with all the consequences.

Now I'm righteously tired and say goodbye. Tomorrow will be an exciting day!

Addendum, nobody believes that! So after I was supposed to pay $2,500 more for nine days, I wrote back, pretty pissed off:

Hi xx,

No. You told me on the phone that the price for the extended days would be around NZ$53 per day. I have a witness who also heard this over the loudspeaker.

Regards

The answer just came:

Dear Charlotte,

Thank you for your response.

I'm sorry for the confusion.

Upon checking here, the reservation number xxxxxxx is already been extended until 20/04/2023 at 17:00 Your total cost for 30 days is 1897.50 NZD excluding the bond of 200 NZD. 

Thank you.

Regards, 

Which would mean that I should now only pay $186.50 for these nine days. I don't think I've ever experienced anything so unprofessional. Or if so, I would have to think very hard. Maybe my last employer🤣