South Island Whirlwind

Time flies on the crazy South Island.

My first stop after Nelson was the tiny town of Franz Josef, a windy 10 hour bus ride south. I showed up during the heaviest rain I've ever experienced, and that continued all darn night and well into the next day. The hostel receptionist was kind enough to remind us that much of the South Island is a rainforest, emphasis on the RAIN.

The Pancake Rocks on the West Coast of NZ

Geyser caused by huge crashing waves

Franz Josef and its sister town Fox are well known for their giant and somewhat accessible glaciers. You can take a walk to within a kilometer or so of the glacier's start, but beyond that point foot traffic is restricted because of the potential for flash flooding and ice/rock slides. However, for the ambitious traveler, several companies offer helicopter tours where they'll fly you up to the top of the glacier and walk you through some amazing ice features and caverns.

Unfortunately this helicopter tour costs about as much as you'd think (if you were thinking $300+). So, for practically the first time this trip, I didn't do something that sounded amazing purely on the basis that it cost too much damn money. Nuts, but that's travel budgeting.

With the hell tour out of the picture, I took a walk to the face of the glacier to get as close as possible for free. Still it was a beautiful walk, and and I enjoyed the first few hours of decent weather in days.

Angry looking fantail decided to pose for me

At least everything is green when it rains this much

The Franz Josef Glacier, from as close as I got to it

After a couple days in quiet Franz Josef, I hopped on another bus for an 8 hour ride to the South Island town I was most excited for: Queenstown.

Queenstown is known as the adrenalin capital of New Zealand, and the adventure sport capital of the world. It's also a great place to meet new people, have a few too many drinks, and spend boatloads of money. There were no quiet nights in that town, and there were plenty of slow mornings.  That worked out OK actually, as it also rained heavily every. single. morning.

Luckily the skies cleared for a day, and I took a hike up the hill right behind town for a look out at the aptly named local mountain range, The Remarkables.

Being a cool kid/soaking in the view

The view up top

Despite its reputation, I wound up participating in exactly zero of the crazy adrenalin sports around Queenstown this visit. Some were a bit cost prohibitive, others I've already done, and some were canceled due to the weather. I spent several of the days reading books in coffee shops around town, my new favorite trip activity. I've moved on from Neil Gaiman to J.R.R. Tolkien, because if I'm going to be walking around the mountains where Lord of the Rings was filmed, you bet your ass I'm going to be keepin an eye out for trekking hobbits with magic rings.  I managed to find some very awesome people in Queenstown as well as some loud and rowdy folk, so I'd like to think I got the full experience.

Also, no post concerning Queenstown would be complete without bringing up Fergburger. Since I arrived in this country, I've been overwhelmed by natural beauty and wonderful people, but damn if I wasn't dying for a good burger. Fergburger serves up the best burger I've had in this hemisphere by a mile. I didn't have one for every meal, but I may or may not have had at least one a day while I was in town. It certainly didn't help that their only location was about 30 steps outside my hostel.

The rest of my time in Queenstown I spent buying copious amounts of cold weather gear so that I don't freeze to death on the Milford Track, my next stop. The Milford Track is probably the most iconic NZ tramping route, a 4 day/3 night hike through the alps of Fiordland National Park that ends at the beautiful Milford Sound. The hike books up months in advance, and I was lucky to snag a ticket right before they sold out for the summer months.

Fiordland gets an apparently ridiculous amount of rainfall every year, and at the top of the mountains that translates to heavy snow. I've been properly warned of the dangers of both, and I'm thinking I'm well prepared at this point. I bought myself a sweet-looking used 80's style waterproof jacket, which I stress tested by jumping around in the shower at the hostel. I also picked up some rain pants, some polypropylene layers, and one of those neck scarf things that makes me look like a bank robber. I'm gonna look like Santa Claus, but I'd like to think I'll be as dry as possible.

I left Queenstown on Sunday and made my way to Te Anau, the closest town to the start of the Milford Track. Here I've been relaxing and stocking up on food for the trip. This time I made sure to buy real beef jerky, not those abominable Slim Jim wannabes from last time. Also, the huts on this trail are equipped with stoves, so this guy's going to be able to make himself a hot meal or 3.

I'll be heading out on the trail at midday Wednesday, and making it to Milford Sound on Saturday evening. I'll be spending the night with some folks I've met at Milford, and then returning to Te Anau this Sunday to rest up and get ready for my next adventure!

Cheers,

Jared