NEW ZEALAND'S SOUTH ISLAND ROAD TRIP
(New Zealand Flag)
(Map of New Zealand)
All of the images below are thumbnails and can be clicked on for a larger image.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2007:
Wednesday afternoon it was a very scenic drive down the west coast of New Zealand on Highway 6.
There were many nice views of the Tasman Sea.
After checking into my motel in Haast I drove down to Jackson Bay.
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Hello North America! Today was a FANTASTIC day. First thing this morning before I left Franz Josef Glacier I finally got up in the helicopter. When I woke up this morning I doubted it would happen because there were low hanging clouds everywhere. We flew up the face of Franz Josef Glacier and it didn't take but a second or two and we were above the clouds and there were clear blue skies and snow covered mountain peaks in every direction. After flying around the mountain peaks for about 30 minutes we landed on the top of Fox Glacier. That is the attached picture for today. We spent about ten minutes up there before getting back on the helicopter and flying down the face of Fox Glacier and then back around to Franz Josef. It was a great flight.  After the helicopter I drove over to Lake Mathson and walked around the lake. Then I drove down to Fox Glacier. The skies cleared up by the time I got down there and it was sunny the rest of the day. At Fox you can walk right out to the face of the glacier, which I did. It's a rocky walk and you have to cross several streams of glacier run off, without any bridges. But it was a lot of fun, it's about an hours walk. I wanted to walk a lot today anyway to work off all this food I have been eating. After I finished with the glaciers it was time to start heading farther south to Haast where I am staying tonight. It's 140 kilometers from Fox Glacier to Haast and there was not one town between the two. Sometimes I would drive several minutes before I even crossed a car coming the other way. The roads is New Zealand are pretty good. The bridges are all one lane. You have to look for cars coming the other way before you cross. Some of the bridges are quite long and sometimes the railroad is in the one lane as well. The drive was very scenic. I stopped often as the road often met with the coast. There were lots of rocky beaches on the Tasman Sea. I got to Haast at about 4:00. I didn't realize how small this town was. One gas pump, a couple small motels and a small grocery store and that's about it. And you wouldn't believe the prices in that grocery store. About a 400% markup. After I got settled in my room I drove down to Jackson Bay about 50 kilometers south of here. I took another walk down there. A lot of sand flies and mosquitos here. I used some insect repellent, I hope it worked so I'm not scratching in the morning. It was a fun day. I managed not to break any more New Zealand laws. I am driving to Queenstown tomorrow where I will be for the remaining five days here on the South Island. You'll be getting this email late again because no Internet again tonight. Tim |
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2007:
I began my day Thursday in Mount Aspring National Park.
The pictures below are Thunder Falls, The Gates of Haast and Fantail Falls.
Highway 6 left the coast at Haast and headed inland but the scenery continued to be fantastic.
After leaving Mount Aspring National Park the road continued past beautiful Lake Wanaka.
As I neared Queenstown the road went through the scenic Kawarau Gorge.
11 minute video of my road trip down the west coast of New Zealand. Click on the �YouTube player below to watch the video. | ||
Click above to continue to my next adventure, QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND.
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