009 Mountains and Sandflies

 February 7, 2021

Yesterday when we arrived at Franz Josef it was very cool and overcast so the little settlement seemed rather unappealing and we tucked into our camping space and hunkered down for the night. This morning we decided to stock up at the local Four Square. As we came around the corner in brilliant sunshine we had a whoa! wait! what???? moment because right in our faces was a mountain with snow all over it. Yesterday, it had been completely obscured. Cool start to the day!

South of the town, we walked part of the Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere track ('tears of snow') to get closer to the Franz Josef Glacier which was well worth the effort.

Heading further south we had lunch at Lake Mathieson, then took a side road to see if we could get a glimpse of Fox Glacier/Te Moeka o Tuawe ('the bed of Tuawe'). It was breathtaking and sent me into a fervour of messaging my friend MJ who was on the same 1968 school trip to the South Island to try and ascertain which of the two glaciers we had climbed. All I can remember is that it was wet, very cold, and the ice very sharp. I cut my hand quite badly. Our final consensus was Fox Glacier, so now I can sleep tonight! A wee blast from the past for us both. Thanks, MJ.

From Fox, the landscape became more diverse and the road a winding mountain pass with very dense native bush giving way to soaring, bush-clad hills, 53 rivers and bridges, huge lakes, and always the sparkling Tasman Sea. Well, it was gorgeous today, but I know it can be very wet and windy at times and the trees along the coast were bent at right angles to the sea. Mr P. who is not at all fanciful said of the bush, 'you can easily imagine Moa hiding in there!' I couldn't help but agree with him. On that same stretch of road, I counted 32 dead possums and none anywhere else. Go figure.

Mindful of Mike's recent medical history, I said I would drive part of the way and tried to wrest control at Bruce Bay but he was having none of it. He's the same with shopping trolleys.
So we carried on along the coast road, stopping at Knight's Point to stretch our legs. There is a memorial there to the opening of the Haast Pass in 1965 which connected the east and west sides of the island.

We were both pretty tired by the time we trundled into Haast village and quickly found an easy spot to camp in BUT there are lots of sandflies!!!

Franz Josef - our whoa! what? moment

Franz Josef Glacier

Franz Josef Glacier - close up

Orange Montbretias

Fox Glacier

Moa - now extinct

Poor Knights Point

Poor Knights Point - commemorating the opening of the Haast Pass

Tasman Sea - from Poor Knights Point

View from motorhome bedroom window


Comments

  1. Anita17 March 2021 at 01:59

    I can only imagine your astonishment at the view that met you 'just around the corner'. A memory that will last a lifetime. Once again a great record of your day and experiences. ❤️🙏

    ReplyDelete

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