Tuesday 27th March 2018 Queenstown to Frans Josef

We were up at about 8 a.m., having had a heavy day the day before. We skipped breakfast and completed re-packing for the road trip up to Frans Josef Glacier.

The hotel, which was excellent in every way, called a cab for us and we set off for the airport and the Go Car Hire office. It was raining fairly heavily and the day would turn out to have the most torrential rain I have seen.

We soon had the formalities completed and loaded up our Toyota Corolla. We set off northward on the round-about route which will take us to our destination, the Rainforest Retreat at Frans Josef. The rain became very heavy indeed making driving not so pleasant but we still made good progress. We passed over mountains, through valleys, along flat areas where there were farms and through forests. The scenery was ever-changing and never boring. Even if, at times, the low cloud and heavy rain did not make for good visibility, there was enough to tel that this was a verdant and unspoiled area of the world.

After a couple of hours, we came to a roadside café at a place called Makaroa. We stopped for lunch there. There was a constant stream of tour buses containing, mostly Australian we thought, elderly tourists bound for the south. After lunch, we swapped drivers and set off again northward. The whole trip would be about 440 kms (about 275 miles), and was scheduled, without stops for about 4 ½ hours. We stopped again at a salmon farm beside the road where there was also a café. The ‘fisherman’ at the salmon farm was netting the fish and rather brutally cutting their heads off and throwing them into a bucket, presumably for the kitchen of the café to cook. A bit further on we came to Bruce Bay where we were very close to the Tasman Sea and MAC thought that we ought to put our toes into it. In the event, the surf was quite strong so we opted just to dip our hands into the encroaching waves. So that we d not have to dry off our feet. 

MAC tests the Tasman Sea

We also picked up one of the white stones from the beach, inscribed our names on it and left it with many of the others similarly inscribed. We passed thought the small village of Fox’s Glacier and stopped to refuel.

One of the strange things about New Zealand’s roads is the absence of signs telling you where you are or how far to the next place or even the road number you are on. The roads are very well-kept and maintained but have very little signage. There are also almost no roadside facilities such as cafes, rest stops or even gas stations. Woe betide you if you run short on fuel or are in dire need of a toilet!! There is also just almost no traffic at all!! It is quite an occasion to see another vehicle.

Along the way some of the sheer cliffs on either side of the road had streaming cataracts of water which came down the cliffs and over the road. We crossed innumerable rivers which were in flood and passed over many single-file bridges.

It was a long drive but it did give us the chance to see some of the interior of the country and to admire the wonderfully diverse scenery which is the South Island of New Zealand.

The rain eased towards the end of the trip and when we arrived at our hotel in Frans Josef, at about 5.30 p.m. it had cleared up, somewhat.

We soon checked in, found our room and called to confirm arrangements for our three hour ‘Glacier Walk’ tomorrow morning. Our ‘Breakfast Basket for the morning was delivered soon afterwards.

The town was the destination of an antique car rally and there were old, mostly US cars parked all over the place. The rally ended in Wanaka later in the week. It seemed that the cars had been shipped in from all over the world, including the US.

After trying to find somewhere quieter we eventually settled for the local hotel bar called Monsoon for dinner. The roast port with crackling was very good. So fed and watered we retired to our Ecolodge beds. The room at this hotel, if amazingly well designed and has lots of amenities such as a kitchen, many appliances and a very carefully thought out layout. The hotel complex has rooms, chalets, and even tents for accommodation for all types of traveler and for all budgets and ages. There are hot tubs and pools and many amenities. It is certainly a great place to base yourself for exploring this area which is rich with hiking trails and interesting sights.