The clear blue sky again made a mockery of the NZ weather forecast (fortunately). We managed to snag a private guided tour to the terminal face of Fox Glacier. Matty, our guide, was both knowledgeable and patient with our overly-exuberant children. We made our way along the glacial creek bed, passing boulders the size of mobile homes (which had made their way down [at speed presumably] from the ravine face at some point).
We soon came to a roped off section, complete with warning signs about not proceding unless accompanied by a guide. Lily and Hamish needed a little reassuring that everything was above board as we clambered through the barrier, edging closer to the glacier.
The kids were given Matty's pick axe for a happy snap, their delight at the location dwarfed by being allowed to hold onto something potentially dangerous.. The katabatic wind (imagine someone opening the freezer door on a giant fridge, and standing underneath it) coming down the glacier encouraged us not to linger for too long near the terminal face.
Matty thought it might be a peachy idea to make our way up a recently-formed ravine to see where the old path used to be (before an entire section washed away in a raging torrent - reassuring). We eventually found it sticking out from the ravine wall at shoulder-level. This older path gave some great views of the glacier.
We set off from Fox Glacier and passed a place called Knights Point Lookout, where I encountered my first sandfly (along with his extended family). We beat a hasty retreat to the car, and continued on our way past Haast and on through the Haast Pass. The landscape here was again photo-worthy, so we complied.
On the way to Wanaka, we passed Lake Hawea and were glad we filled the car up at Fox Glacier - as the part of the West Coast we had been through was essentially wilderness the entire way.
Where our mantra in Wellington (in regard to our accommodation) was 'it's only one night, it's only one night', in Wanaka it is more like 'awww it's only one night!'. Jenny took the opportunity of the availability of a well decked-out kitchen to make pasta Carbonara.
While the town of Wanaka appears rife with well-to-do Alpine-yuppie types, we are thoroughly enjoying our night here in front of the fire.
The clear blue sky again made a mockery of the NZ weather forecast (fortunately). We managed to snag a private guided tour to the terminal face of Fox Glacier. Matty, our guide, was both knowledgeable and patient with our overly-exuberant children. We made our way along the glacial creek bed, passing boulders the size of mobile homes (which had made their way down [at speed presumably] from the ravine face at some point).
We soon came to a roped off section, complete with warning signs about not proceding unless accompanied by a guide. Lily and Hamish needed a little reassuring that everything was above board as we clambered through the barrier, edging closer to the glacier.
The kids were given Matty's pick axe for a happy snap, their delight at the location dwarfed by being allowed to hold onto something potentially dangerous.. The katabatic wind (imagine someone opening the freezer door on a giant fridge, and standing underneath it) coming down the glacier encouraged us not to linger for too long near the terminal face.
Matty thought it might be a peachy idea to make our way up a recently-formed ravine to see where the old path used to be (before an entire section washed away in a raging torrent - reassuring). We eventually found it sticking out from the ravine wall at shoulder-level. This older path gave some great views of the glacier.
We set off from Fox Glacier and passed a place called Knights Point Lookout, where I encountered my first sandfly (along with his extended family). We beat a hasty retreat to the car, and continued on our way past Haast and on through the Haast Pass. The landscape here was again photo-worthy, so we complied.
On the way to Wanaka, we passed Lake Hawea and were glad we filled the car up at Fox Glacier - as the part of the West Coast we had been through was essentially wilderness the entire way.
Where our mantra in Wellington (in regard to our accommodation) was 'it's only one night, it's only one night', in Wanaka it is more like 'awww it's only one night!'. Jenny took the opportunity of the availability of a well decked-out kitchen to make pasta Carbonara.
While the town of Wanaka appears rife with well-to-do Alpine-yuppie types, we are thoroughly enjoying our night here in front of the fire.
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