Day 13 ( May 26th) - More glacial activity

So I wake up today to thunder, lightning and heavy, heavy rain. I was going to get on the road again but being soaking wet for hours in a car wasn't appealing. I decided to stay in the hostel another night so I could re-group and figure out my next steps. But I hate wasting days so I decide I must brave the rain and at least leave the hostel for an hour. I ended up taking a walk to the glacier. It started in the rainforest which is so nice to walk through in the lashing rain - it seems to come alive - the smells become stronger and the colours become brighter. I then come across 'Historic Bridge' which is your typical, rickety New Zealand bridge that allows a walkway over a rapidly running river. I walk onto the bridge to get some pictures and feel like I'm about to be blown over the side. It's scary but fun! I continue to walk and the wind is absolutely howling. I consider turning back but I've walked about an hour and a half at this stage - might as well power through. I finally reach the walk to the glacier. Physically, the walk there is very similar to Franz Josef. Fox Glacier is also a little more exciting, however, as when you make your way to the top of the stony hill and finally reach the top - you are a lot closer to the glacier than what you would be at Franz Josef. You can also see ice caves which are pretty awesome looking. By the time I get back, the wind is blowing even harder and the rain is pelting down. I am drenched and can barely walk against the strength of the wind. Luckily - two Irish guys who happen to be glacier guides stop and tell me to get in. I wish I met them on the way and maybe they could have brought me onto the glacier. Ah well! They drop me all the way back to town, I apologise for ruining the back seat with rain and muck and I head back for a long hot shower. I spent the rest of the day chilling and trying to plan what happens next. Check out the last picture of the glacier below with the people walking on it to get an idea of the size of it.

 Historic Bridge

 On my lonesome

 Historic Bridge

 Glacial Ice Cave

 People walking on the glacier

Clear waters on the way to the glacier

I decided before I started my hitchhiking travels that I wanted to go to all the places I've already been, but also to Milford Sound, Mt. Cook, Lake Tekapo and Dunedin. I didn't actually do any research on getting to these places, and figured that it was probably very do-able in two or three weeks. I didn't look at the road situation. Nope! And as the first few days carried on and I actually began to look at a map I realised what I was dealing with it. Mount Cook is really close the the glaciers, but you have to drive South for a few hours, then East for a little bit, and back up North again to get there. Google maps can't even figure out the route. But you have to drive at least 1000 kilometers in what should only be about 100 kilometers. I wont even get started on getting to Milford Sound. Have a look at the map below - Fox Glacier is a little more than half way down the West Coast, slightly inland. The routes you see are the only roads to take from town to town. So going to these places isn't really going to happen in the few weeks as hitchhiking could go horribly wrong when I need to hitch so far in one day. The road the Milford Sound is closed at the moment anyway so I decide I'll head to Wanaka next, then Queenstown. And I'll do weekend or day trips from there with friends!

23rd May (Day 10) Road to Franz Josef

It’s time to get back on the road down the West coast. Luke went back to work in Christchurch yesterday so I’m going solo again. I have my free breakfast and head into town and towards highway 6. About 20 minutes after I have my thumb out, a massive freight truck drives towards me and stops about 3 inches in front of me. The driver is laughing and obviously very entertained. He gets out, lugs my bag inside and I climb up what seems like 10 metres into the passenger seat. Warren, a middle-aged Kiwi man brings me to Hokitika, drives through the town (seems to be a true wild west town but I don't have time to explore) and then drops me at a perfect hitching post. Happy days! After ten minutes, Thomas, a young Kiwi guy brings me to the tiny town of Ross, where he is from. 

On our way in we come across a really cool looking house with car registrations stuck all over it and on the fence surrounding it. I start to hitch again outside what looks like a closed pub, with more car registrations stuck all over the wall. After two minutes, two men wander outside the pub and say hello. We get chatting - the guys names are Muz and Tommy. Muz has collected old and new motorbikes for years. There is a pub / cafe next door but this part of the pub has been turned into Muz' storage place for all of these cool bikes. He takes me inside and shows me around. He's hoping to perhaps turn it into a mini museum, which could be another drawing point for the town of Ross. There is some amazing bikes and really interesting memorabilia, and I'm delighted I've been dropped off here. Unfortunately I haven't got much time to spend with Muz as I need to get to Franz Josef before dark. He tells me if I had time he would take me up to the graveyard a short drive away to where there are many Irish men buried. They came to Ross in the 1800's to make their gold fortune, but unfortunately a lot of them died in mining accidents or in other unfortunate events. Many of them were only in their forties. Muz also tells me that Ross is a town of glories lost. It's where the unearthing of NZ's largest gold nugget, the 2.772kg 'Honourable Roddy', caused a kerfuffle in 1907. Just as we finish our lovely chat and I begin hitchhiking again, a beautiful and bright rainbow appears right over the house I saw when I first drove into Ross. It happens to be Muz' house. Does it seem weird that I feel like it's a sign for something? Maybe. But it feels special.

 Some of the motor-bike memorabilia at Ross

 Muz and I

 Beautiful rainbow over Muz' house

 Beautiful Lake Lanthe

 Lake Lanthe

 Little town of Hari Hari

 Hari Hari

Soon before our arrival in Franz Josef

The first car that drives by picks me up. I hop in with Emma and Zita, a lovely Maori lady and her daughter. We have a great chat along the way. She wants to stop to use the facilities at Lake Lanthe which I am delighted about because it is such a beautiful lake and the sun is shining down on it. Together with the surrounding native forest, it creates wonderful views. We arrive in the even tinier town of Hari Hari, where Emma lives, and she drops me on the main road slightly down from the town where it will be easy to hitch. It's getting late at this stage and it's going to get dark soon - I remember my rule - don't hitch when it's getting dark! However, I'm enjoying the sun setting and the view of the mountains. This place is beautiful. There's a few cars going by but nobody picking me up. I begin to get irritated by the millions of sandflies and decide after half an hour it's time to call it a day. I'm thinking I'm a bit screwed as there is no backpacker in Hari Hari. Uh-oh! Just as I start walking back to the town, a car driving the opposite direction to where I am going stops, turns around and pulls up beside me. The luck of the Irish yet again prevails. I get into the car with Lynn and Greg, an Australian couple who have a daughter of a similar age to me and they wouldn't like to see her hitchhiking in the middle of nowhere. They are also primary school teachers and we have a great chat, admire the views and even stop to take some pictures. Just before we arrive in Franz Josef, we are pulled over by the cops. Greg is wondering what he's been doing wrong but turns out he didn't have the lights on properly. Phew - that could have become interesting. They drop me right to Rainforest Retreat in Franz Josef where my friend Shelley works and who I am staying with tonight. Perfect!

I meet Shelley and she takes me to her house about two minutes away. She has to head off to work so leaves me be. I make beans on toast - perfect, delicious, backpacker food and chill out. A short while later her room-mate Tom comes home and invites me out with him and his friends. They are going to head to Monsoon Bar where Shelley works so it sounds perfect to me. Soon after we arrive, I bump into a friend, Chris, who I worked with in Pipers Lodge in National Park on the North Island. We have a great catch up! I wait for Shelley to finish work and we head back to hers with a load more eager party-goers in tow. Good times!

Goodbye Furneaux Lodge!

 So I’ve decided to write a mini, temporary, fun blog to record my travels on the South Island of New Zealand because it’s nice to be able to share these once in a life time experiences. I used to love a bit of blogging so time to get my fix again. I’m traveling on my own because my friend Gini went and broke her wrist and hence could not be my travel buddy anymore. Silly girl. I plan to hitchhike around and get the odd bus if possible. After my travels I intend to work in Queenstown. So let the adventures begin!

I’ve spent the last 7 weeks in Marlborough Sounds (very North of South Island) at a beautiful resort called Furneaux Lodge. I went to Furneaux to save money and stop partying for a while. And it worked!... Well almost - there was quite a few late nights and unattractive bruises but they were worth it for the laughs. Marlborough Sounds is seriously beautiful. You will probably hear that a lot in this travel post but anyone who has been there will agree. On a sunny day, it’s perfection. It basically consists of clear blue water – bays, inlets, islands and peninsulas rising abruptly from the stillness to rugged, lush, green wilderness. Sometimes I used to just sit by the wharf and watch it all go by. Well, rarely anything ever went by, the odd boat about once a day. A dolphin or orca here and there. We were an hour and a half from Picton in a boat, along the Queen Charlotte track, so yes, extremely remote. No shops, no phone signal, nada! I made great friends at Furneaux and had many a lovely chat over a cup of tea. I’m hoping to meet HANNAH again before I go back to Ireland (If she haven’t been eaten by Frankie - the dead mouse Simon caught and taunted me with repeatedly, or Ratty - the MASSIVE rat that scampered through our living room on my last night forcing me to stay in Hannah's room for fear of being eaten or worse, nibbled at...shudder!)

Things I will miss about Furneaux

-The devastating beauty (only adjective to really describe it, sorry!)

-Not having to cook, not even once, and having restaurant standard meals made for us every single day!!! Delish! (SHANKS Izzie and Si)

-Random, crazy nights beginning in the bar and ending up in the croft

-Having tea made for me regularly (Thanks Hannah!)

-Having barista style coffee whenever we want

-Referring to someone dossing as ‘Tobying’. Sorry Toby.

-Sitting in the croft talking about this that and the other

-Pretty walks

-Listening to Si and Izzie being ridiculously opinionated and ALWAYS being right (supposedly)..quite funny...this should maybe in the ‘things I don’t miss’ category

-Getting the piss taken out of me constantly by the boys. Thanks Si, Izzie and Lee

-Banter with the customers

-Banter in the kitchen during service

-Eating like a king (needs two mentions)

-Always feeling at home

Things I wont miss about Furneax

-Hearing mice, rats and possums in our house EVERY NIGHT when I was in bed

-Feeling the cold days of winter creeping in, watching my tan fade and general winter ugliness entering my life again

-The freezingness of the croft (our staff house)

-Having zero phone signal (although it was quite refreshing at times)

-Si having his 'good' music on at full blast at all times possible