Captains Log. Star Date 04.10.05 Greetings from Franz Josef! First I should add, Stuart arrived a few days ago in Christchurch, after around 30hrs of flying! Hardcore. We found a public house and curry place on the way back from the public house so had a nice British first night in New Zealand! We set off on our travels from Christchurch where we headed over to Greymouth on the one and only train that goes there daily. It took 4hrs to get there, and we saw many many many sheep along the way! And some pretty cool views too. We arrived in Greymouth (on sunday) afternoon and spent a whole of ten minutes looking around it. Nothing was open expect Subway and a bar. So we visited both of those. There really is nothing to do in Greymouth on a Sunday so we were happy to leave on the 'majic bus' at 8am. We arrived here in Franz Josef yesterday in glorious sunshine and felt like we were on a summers day! We were told this is a rarity and to make the most of the good weather, so we booked up to go kayaking in the afternoon, which was good. The lake we were on was 3km wide and we paddled across it (I was the only rook in the group and took ages getting across) we then went down a river which had some kind of pigment in it that made it reflective. It was really cool coming back down it and seeing the plants and trees reflected on top of the water. I got stuck on a tree that was under the water coming down the river, and the guide had to get me off it, apart from that I got my rowing technique sorted after a few solid hours of rowing around a big lake! The row back was so hard, everytime I looked up I didnt feel like I had left the middle of the lake! By the time I finally reached the end my arms and legs were shaking! That will teach me for not doing any exercise for years and then going rowing for 5 bleeding hours on a mahusive lake! Today I am aching severly, it pains me to be typing this, I have blisters on my thumbs too! Stuart is fine... no aches or pains! Check out the pictures of the kayaking (the ones where I look miserable are because I was tired of rowing and getting no where, or stuck on a tree!!!) In the evening we went on an impromptu walk on the search for glowworms, we did actually see some, which was cool! On the way back to the hostel we looked up to see the most amount of stars I've ever seen in my life. They were every where you looked and so bright! It was amazing. This afternoon we went on a glacier hike over franz josef glacier. Named after a guy called Franz Josef who had a long white beard... It was absolutly hammering down with rain all day so we were kitted out with hats, gloves, water proof trousers and jacket... boots and spikes (to go on the boots) and set on our merry little wet way... It took an hour from where the bus dropped us just to get to the bottom of the glacier, then the fun started! Stuart being mr fireman healthy "i do exercise" decided we would go in group one, which was the faster one... Getting up the side of the glacier was pretty hard work (for those of us who are not exermasiers!) we had spikes on our boots to help us to not slip over. I am happy to report I lived up to my reputation as a clutz and managed to have a tumble on the way down! I was so wet from being in the rain so long I was like an eel slipping down the side of the mountain. Yowzers! You will also be pleased to hear I took Stuart out with me! mu ha ha ha haaaaaaaa! Take someone with you! The pictures have come out better than I was expecting, it was so cloudy up there I didnt think we would have any evidence of the trek we had just partaken in, in the rain! The walk down was much more enjoyable for me than the hike up, it was a really good day though, and we arrived home soaking wet through all our layers. Queenstown tomorrow! Over and out xxx