Clear skies for the glacier

The sun came out finally the next day. Annie even said we may see some snow on the peaks. It was 4C there and you know it was colder up top. When we had arrived the rental agent had said there was no snow and we would probably not see any.

We were not disappointed. All along the west coast is a range of mountains that jump up dramatically from the ocean. We drove down to our next town 2 hours away admiring the snow covered peaks.

We drove right to Franz Josef Glacier and was lucky enough for clear skies. We had our picnic lunch and then did the 45 minute walk to the glacier. On our way, who do we meet but the couple that we had kayaked with in Abel Tasman. Small world!

They stop you quite far from the start of the glacier for safety reasons. We then jumped a fence (like everyone else) and climbed up to chill and get a better view. We broke out our mini wines and took in the view with a great Marlborough Pinot!

We head back to our Airbnb and after a little confusion found our cottage. Really nice, on a farm right next to a paddock with miniature horses and a view of the mountains. Unfortunately at this point the clouds had moved in and we couldn't see much.

After setting in we went into town for a drink, home for dinner and another successful day in NZ.Read more