I got up early this morning to check in for my Ice Explorer trip with Franz Josef Glacier Guides at 9am. I was excited, but a little apprehensive. Due to recent rapid melting of the ice at the foot of the glacier, the full day hike starting from the bottom is no longer possible. This is because there is no access on foot from below the glacier anymore, thanks to a big hole at the bottom. I'd say that worked out pretty well for me though, as it meant we'd be getti...

This morning we left the Poo Pub behind to head down to Franz Josef Village, home to a huge glacier towering over subtropical rainforest and numerous kettle lakes. We made a brief stop on the way at the Bushman Centre owned by crazy Pete. If I thought Poo Pub was weird and wild, I hadn't seen anything yet! It's a museum/café designed to educate tourists on how people used to make a living on the west coast, before tourism became the main industry. Helicopter dee...