The van was still there in the morning, but not for a lack of trying on the weather's part. Man, this country is wet. The 12 year drought back in Australia seemed to be just a distant memory.
Today was glacier day but we would first need some serious parting of the heavens before the Franz Josef or Fox glaciers would come into view. After breky we optimistically set out in search of a glacier, choosing to park and walk to the nearest viewing platform for the Franz Josef, only ten minutes from our hotel. Thankfully, the rain let up (a bit) as the clouds moved higher up the mountains affording us a good view of what looked to be a glacier in a state of serious recession. I was amazed to see a sign on our drive in that indicated the glacier had been a full kilometre further down the valley a mere 20 years ago.
No longer content with staring at a bunch of ice and snow that wasn't really doing much, the boys indicated it was time to go. Alex, however, thought we were going to climb the thing and needed some serious "talking down" to get him back to the parking lot. Back on the road we decided one glacier was not enough, and with the Fox glacier only 20 minutes down the road, we made a quick detour to check it out. This was a real Chevy Chase at the Grand Canyon moment, as we hurriedly jumped out of the van, peered through some trees, took a few snaps and were then back on our way. Or maybe it was our version of the Amazing Race, and having conquered the detour, we were still ahead of "The Blondes" and the quirky, gay couple...
Whatever it was, our constant companions on this leg would be the winding roads, the rain, and the amazing number of single lane bridges. Like Aussie round-abouts, these babies take a little getting used to as you slow down (just enough) to figure out who's coming the other way. If it's clear then you swing onto the bridge and make your merry way across. It actually works quite well until you find yourself face to face with a semi half way across. Which we didn't. But I can't imagine having to back up, in the dark, over some raging river. I also wondered if single lane bridges were a purely economic decision or more a matter of rugged geography. Hitting one every 10 kms or so certainly gave one enough opportunity to wonder what the Kiwis have against building a bridge with two lanes.
We were now on our way to Queenstown on the shores of Lake Wakatipu - where they never have troubles, at least very few. En route we made a very buggy stop to take a pic at beautiful Ships Creek beach. Within seconds of exposing my pasty bare legs to the elements, these little buggers were onto me like flies on you know what. Like a black fly with a bigger bite, they must have smelled fresh meat and we were only to happy leave them to the German tourists just pulling in. Lunch would be in Haast at a popular diner that again featured fried food and more deeply fried food. When road tripping, like hang overs, grease seems to be all that you crave and I was quite content with my jumbo spring rolls and a few filched french fries.
The afternoon drive saw us climb up around some gorgeous inland lakes, surrounded by an endless display of mountain ranges. We were now in an area of the country that is a mecca for extreme sports enthusiasts from bungee jumping to jet boats and from paragliding to white water rafting. Passing through the outskirts of Wanaka, a smaller version of Queenstown, we decided to take a less major but more direct route along the Cardona Highway. It was a decision we will never regret. This was a road that needs chains in the winter and is touted as New Zealand's highest sealed road. There didn't seem to be one turn where one of us wouldn't gasp at the view, the road, or the drop off below. We stopped for a photo op at the heighest point of the pass and got a gorgeous glimpse of Queenstown far, far off in the distant valley. From here it was only another 45 windy and windswept minutes to our hotel.
Only now, it occurs to me, the beautiful serendipity of this experience. If we had listened to Mapquest or followed the obvious choice, we would have missed this gem and never been the wiser. Instead, we took a risk, tried something a bit different, and with apologies to Mr. Frost...that made all the difference.
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