Makarora to Franz Josef Glacier

Well, guess what? ...... It's raining. In fact it's really p...ing down (pelting!) It was dull this morning when I woke in my own little A-frame cabin. No-one else had booked into the dorm accommodation at the motel so I had it all to myself! Last night after I got back to the cabin I could see so many stars! It was incredible, like a string of the Milky Way, with a couple of very bright twinklers which seemed quite close - but they're not, of course! But I really thought we'd have a nice day today.

Makarora Wilderness Resort

I had breakfast in the cafe and chatted to Jenny who was on duty last night too. She's from Oamaru, though is half Arabian, half English, and she arrived in Makarora at the beginning of the summer season and intends staying for another 18 months, maybe more! She seems to like it there!!! I headed off into the cloud, though for a moment I thought I saw some blue sky ahead! Might it clear up? No chance! It got worse really, though the clouds weren't so low as they were last time I was there. I got some rather atmospheric photos of mountains and rivers, even the sea,

along the way as I drove through rain forest - cabbage trees, flax, tree ferns and some strange tall trees that have little short branches sticking out like arms. They mostly have creepers growing up and round the trunks. To be honest that bit of the road was a bit boring, but I found a beautiful waterfall or three to photograph! Eventually I reached Fox Glacier township and drove up the road to the carpark from where you walk for about half an hour along a fairly undulating track - where the glacier used to be only a hundred years ago. One or two sign boards along the road had indicated the end of the glacier in 17 hundred and something, and then in 1835. It's quite a way back now! There's a cone shaped mountain that is quite a way forward from the end of the glacier and photos of about 1900 show only the top of it at the side of the glacier! Apparently the ice was then about 100 feet thick! More photos in the rain, but the blue colour that reflects the oldest ice in the glacier was still plain to see. You don't get too close to the glacier and certainly don't get the view in the next pictures.

It was time to move on and there was still enough daylight - early dark tonight because of the gloomy weather - to drive the twisty road to the next glacier town of Franz Josef. I needed to find some food and a bed for the night so first I found the supermarket and then the youth hostel. I thought I was going to get the five share room to myself but quite late on, a trio of Spanish girls arrived and proceeded to fill the room! It's not too big! However before they arrived I went out to a nearby restaurant and had a lovely meal! I think I'll be living on sandwiches for a few days now!

So now I am here in the games room with a noisy game of Snap going on in the back ground, that involves animal sounds instead of the word Snap, and a game of pool happening next to the computer desks!

I'm hoping the weather will pick up but I just heard someone say it's supposed to be drizzly tomorrow and worse the day after! Well, that puts paid to my idea of a helicopter flight over the glaciers but I think I will stay here another night and relax tomorrow - well apart from trying to see the Franz Josef glacier and taking a bit of a walk by Lake Matheson! There should be views of Aoraki - Mount Cook - but I reckon I've had that! Same as last time. Still the walk in the rain forest should be nice! I might buy an umbrella though! Sorry that pic is so small! The bright white stuff is the snow covered Mount Cook range!

Well, time to go again!

Talk again soon.