Once we had thawed out in the morning we headed back down the mountains and on towards Nelson Lakes. We stopped at Lake Rotoroa and did a short walk along the lake side before heading back to the car to warm up! We then headed into the Buller Gorge and took a walk over NZ's longest swing bridge to a 1929 earthquake fault-line and various gold-mine exhibits. After passing through Westport via a hostel shower we found a very pretty beachside site to park up for the night.

Punakaiki was our next stop which is the home of Pancake Rocks ad blowholes. These strange looking rocks appear to be made up of many layers and also make for some pretty stunning scenery.

We then ventured to Hokitika Gorge with the promise of "improbably turquoise waters". It was a little overcast on the day so my expectations were pretty low but they were blown away. This gorge, like much of NZ, really has to be seen to be believed. The water was truly turquoise and the tranquil setting made the diversion well worth while.

We arrived later that day in Franz Josef and booked in to do a full day hike 2 days later allowing us time to appreciate the Glaciers before we took to them.