Mixed Soup #15: Glaciers, so close yet so far

1455 Kilometers
Fox Glacier
We woke up to sunny bright skies, and the first thought that came to my mind was “Will we hike the glaciers today?”
Sad enough, the glaciers at Franz Josef were still closed, and all we could do was drive up to the parking lot and see the glaciers from about 3 kms away.
Plan B on the map. Fox Glacier is just about half an hour’s drive from Franz Josef, where the Glaciers can be seen from as close your hand can touch the cold stones. The hiking trails were closed down in Fox Glacier as well, so we were prepared for it.

The drive to the Glacial parking was quite informative. The milestones were replaced with markers of where the Glaciers were once were. For example, as we entered the driveway, there was a first board which said “In 1852, the glacier was here!”. We realized later that the glacier was actually some 10 kms away from this board. The effects of Global Warming.

The walk up to the glacier was a tedious one, but we weren’t turning back without seeing it upclose. The final frontier was about 500 meters away from the glacier, beyond which there was a warning that only experienced hikers can pass. The risk is the ever-eroding glacial waters that can cause a huge chunk of ice to crash down onto the earth.

We took the risk.
But you should stand in front of that mammoth piece of ice glooming its blue face all over you!
Scary!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1611 Kilometers
Hokitika
Hokitika is going to fascinate many of you women reading this. In the 1800s, there was a sudden rush of the population towards the region around Hokitika after news spilt that gold was being found around. We had a little intro to this as we passed Ross Town some 25-kms back where the towners called it “Ross – The Heritage of finding Gold”.
We decided to make a stop by Hokitika; No, not to dig gold. The Fish & Chips shop was the only gold our eyes could see for now.

Today, gold may not be found as easily as it was back in the 1800s, so Hokitika’s newest industry is greenstone jade carvings. There were abundant Arts & Crafts shops around where you could picks some Maori carvings or bookends.

Just before leaving Hokitika, we made a comfort stop by the public restroom, and there is a reason I’m telling you this. The public restroom in Hokitika closes at 4pm! Hellooooo! Is anyone listening? How did they come up with such a thing?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1708 Kilometers
Arthurs Pass
Here comes the winding roads and our drive through the Southern Alps. Not my favorite. I’d just love to pop my head out of the window and let my camera do the work. (Ok! No references to dogs here!) Over the next 2 hours, we would drive up an altitude of over 1650ft as we cross Arthurs Pass.

Its 6:30pm now, and we finally reached the top. Magnificent views of Arthurs Peak. It was drizzling a little, but the top of Arthurs Snow-capped Peak was glittering with the sunshine. Relishing such beautiful sights.

We had to make calls to our hostel in Christchurch to tell them that we were behind schedule and to keep our room keys accessible in case we made it after reception hours. The good thing is that the sun sets late during summer in the southern hemisphere.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1808 Kilometers
Springfield
Back on the road for the final stretch to Christchurch. We started the day with drives by glaciers. Then some coastal driving, natural reserves driving, winding mountain roads and a mountain pass. Now comes the drive through the country side. Time to bring on the Country Blues.

And oh, I almost forgot. There was this meadow that we passed by where cattle were grazing, and our brainwaves thought it would be a great idea to get some pictures. The moment we got out of the car and walked towards the fence, the whole herd came dashing towards us… Run for your life!!! Thank goodness for the fences, or we might have been curry for the day.

We packed up our cameras and stopped at another spot, this time a meadow of sheep. They don’t have horns so we can handle them, I’m sure. Surprisingly, as we walked towards the fence this time, all the sheep ran away far from us.

So it is declared that cows are attracted to humans, and that sheep just don’t care!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1888 Kilometers
Christchurch

Alas the “WELCOME TO CHRISTCHURCH” sign comes up. We started at 8am and after 12hours of driving and fun, I’m back to where I started in New Zealand. And as any other metro, traffic woes begin. Nevertheless, we come home and get some time to soak up in a tub…

Zzzzzzzz Zzzzzzz,
Nivas