South Island: Franz Joseph Glacier
It was a gray day, occasionally damp, on our drive to
the town of Franz Joseph Glacier. We took the road north from Wanaka, past
Lake Hewea, which, despite the overcast skies, appeared as least as scenic
as Lake Wanaka but not yet developed for recreation.
We continued over Haast
Pass (1850') to the coast where we stopped during a hard rain for
coffee in the "town" of Haast. The road turned north along the rugged coastline
to Knight's Point, up to Bruce Bay, inland to Westland National Park
and the small town of Franz Joseph Glacier, part of the Southwest New Zealand World
Heritage Area. It may be the only location where a rain forest meets glaciers.
The towns of Franz Joseph Glacier and Fox Glacier are points of departure
for glacier hikes and helicopter fly-overs.
The weather was most uncooperative: for two nights and
three days we were unable to schedule a heli-hike that would take us to the
top of the glacier for a guided, fully equipped half day hike. Clouds came
and went, and flights were unpredictable, so we settled for a land hike to
the base of the glacier.
We took time for a side trip to the isolated seaside
village of Okarito, a charming area
that is likely to develop in the coming years when it is "discovered" by
those looking for great beaches, quiet lagoons, scenery, and bird watching,
especially kiwis, all in a quiet, out-of-the-way location.
