Takaka, I made it!

Last night the Chateau Franz – a pretty worn hostel packed with friendly kids ready to party the night away – surprised me with a very comfortable bunk bed, a nice pillow, and a very warm duvet. I became friends with an American living in DC and we had a pretty awesome – huge serving – of fish and chips (or fush and chups as the kiwi say).

After talking to multiple people who advised against spending close to 300NZ$ ($250 US) for a helicopter ride to the top of the Franz Josef Glacier, I decided to make the 6-hour drive to Abel Tasman on the Golden Bay – northwest corner of the South Island. Whenever I asked anyone about the Franz Josef Glacier I would hear the hesitation in their voice and the same story: “we only got 45 minutes on the ice…the view was pretty.” Someone else asked me, “have you seen or walked on a glacier before?” My answer was yes and after she asked where I told her about the time I went to see carved caves in France and the glaciers in Switzerland. She then added “if you’ve seen glaciers in Europe, don’t spend your money on Franz Josef.” I took everyone’s advice.

The highlight at Franz Josef was watching two young male Kia birds fight.

The drive to Abel Tasman would have been close to 6 hours without any stops. But by now you should know that I would stop multiple times! My first stop was in Hokitika, the cutest little town known for the multiple jade shops. I went to a few shops, bought some beech flower honey, and spoke to the vendors about the town. One of them told me that I was very lucky to have come in today because of the amazing clear view, not common in the summer. From town you could see Mt Cook also known as Aoraki in Maori– the tallest peak in Australasia at 3724m. I will visit Mt Cook and Christchurch on my next trip to New Zealand!

After Hokitika I stopped at the Pancake Rocks where I saw a weka bird (flightless bird).

Today I am exhausted. I forgot how tiring driving is. I also had to hand in some final work for my TEFL certification and I don’t have any plans for tomorrow. I am so tired that I once I checked in I told Allan (the owner of the hostel) that I wanted to stay an extra night. The only plan I have for tomorrow is that it will be my LAZY DAY!