January 4, 2014 S. Island IV: Wanaka and Franz Josef

Happy New Year! My tour group found a lively restaurant where we claimed a prime vantage spot on the balcony to see the fireworks set off near Queenstown’s beach. The location and company made for one of the best New Year’s Eves of my life, and as I watched and listened to the show, I wondered if 2014 will bring as many unexpected turns as 2013 did. I can’t wait to find out!

At midday we journeyed north to Wanaka, a town known for its mountain biking and winter sports—none of which I have much experience with, so I wasn’t that interested in staying there. However, our tour manager surprised us with a short trip (due to the rain) to a disc golf course, which turned out to be a blast! The sun finally came out for us to take a walk through the town, and the following day another girl and I climbed a nearby peak, Mt. Iron. Although the sides were steep and the sky occasionally rained on us, the views on the town, on Lake Wanaka, and to the other nearby mountains was certainly worth it. Pictures here. 

After the exhausting climb, our group continued northward to Franz Josef on the west coast. The route to our destination crossed the Southern Alps, which was breathtaking not only because of the scenery but also due to the treacherous roads. The bus wound up and down through the mountains, and multiple areas were lined with traffic cones to mark the sides of the road where falling rocks had smattered across the road previously. Our guide also felt the moment appropriate to tell us about a camper van that had been swept away by rocks a few months prior, which filled us with more confidence that we would emerge from the mountains in one piece. My favorite leg of the journey came when we passed a sign that read, “The Gate of Haast,” which sounded like the title of an Edgar Allan Poe story that ended very badly for a group of au pairs. Oh, and did I mention it was raining the whole time?

We did arrive in Franz Josef alive, albeit in more rain. We celebrated our surviving the hazardous trip by taking over a section of a restaurant with karaoke; other people joined in, which turned the whole thing into a competition, and we spent over an hour battling until our group emerged the victors. Highlights from the evening included a dozen of us bellowing “Living on a Prayer,” and an interesting conversation with a Dutch gentleman who had emigrated to Singapore and who emphatically articulated to me that life is too short, “So make the most of it! Really! Make the most of it!” Words to live by.

The following day we got to be outside (all pictures here), and I got to partake in the activity I’d looked forward to all this time: kayaking. It really is something I enjoy because I find it one of the most pleasant ways to take in scenery, and I longed to redeem my steering record from Paihia, so I excitedly pulled on my gear and climbed into a double kayak once our guides had prepared everything on the shore of Lake Mapourika. Naturally, it rained for most of the kayak tour, and my steering was still pretty dodgy. Despite that (and the hideous jackets we were provided), I still enjoyed the scenery, part of which was in a protected kiwi sanctuary.

The other outdoor activity was a visit to the Franz Josef glacier. It has retreated a great deal in the past 70 or so years, but this means we got to walk through the valley it carved out over thousands of years. The evidence of the glacier—particularly the ice blocks floating down the stream rushing from its base and the sides of the canyon that had been scraped smooth—and not the icy mass itself impressed this traveler most. We passed numerous waterfalls and colorful rocks (gray and white stone covered with red and green growths) that amplified the awesome but surreal atmosphere of the area.

I think I would have had a delightful stay in Franz Josef if the rain hadn’t pounded us for much of our time there, but I still enjoyed taking in the unique scenery, and the snow-topped mountains of the Southern Alps that watched us on the drive out the following morning were an incredible sight to behold.