Despite the excesses of last night (we finished a bottle of bubbles all by ourselves!), we were up at the crack of dawn.
Oh, before I forget: Happy New Year, and may 2010 bring everyone what they could possibly wish for.
Right, back to today’s proceedings. The crack of dawn was 8 o’clock, which, considering the considerable amounts of alcohol imbibed over the course of last night (beer, bottle of wine, bottle of bubbles), was very early indeed. Especially if you also know we didn’t actually go to bed until about 01:30 hrs (we had to watch the fireworks – using our imagination - and make some calls). Cup of tea, throw our belongings in the car, check out of the hotel, fill the car up with petrol and on our way we went.
Weather wasn’t too great but it was perfect for driving. We made regular stops, some with some walks, others just to pick up a cup of coffee/tea. Around 3 o’clock we reached Fox Glacier after a failed attempt to sight one of NZ’s Fjordland Crested Penguin colonies. The beach where they were to be found was not only secluded but also deserted, which may have had something to do with the time we were there: too early in the day.
When we reached Fox Glacier we were able to walk right up to the bottom of the glacier. Very impressive and you can only get a sense of scale when you actually spot people in close proximity to, or on the glacier.
Onwards and upwards again to see the next big glacier in the area which would also be our stop for the night. As we didn’t reach our final destination until 17:00 hrs, we decided to first check in to our accommodation before having a look at this glacier. The Franz Josef Glacier was equally as impressive as the Fox Glacier and after scouting a route for a short hike tomorrow, we decided to retire to our chambers and cook dinner in the communal kitchen. After all that excitement we can finally start to think about having a shower and potentially an early night.
The one thing that keeps amazing us about NZ is that wherever you turn and look, there is beautiful vista after even more beautiful vista to be taken in. Also, the country seems to be filled with very pleasant people, although slightly inebriated at times, e.g. New Year’s Eve. A great country in short! Could be rather brutal during wintertime though, I can imagine......
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