We left the Rainforest Retreat at 7.30 this morning to begin the long journey down to Wanaka. On the way, we made an early stop off at Lake Matheson near Fox's Glacier. The lake is famous for giving amazing reflections of the mountains in the distance, including Mount Tasman and Mount Cook (New Zealand's highest peak). The lake gives such a clear reflection because it is so dark from tannin staining. We had a great one hour walk around the lake, although some pas...

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...

We left early this morning to continue down the coast to Lake Mahinapua Hotel - otherwise known as 'Poo Pub' - just 10km south of Greymouth. I'd heard that there's nothing to do there except get drunk, so as you can imagine I didn't exactly hold high hopes for the place! It seems that everywhere on South Island is scenic and this drive was no different. We stopped at several lookouts and attractions on the way along the rugged Tasman shoreline, including the Cap...

After a relaxing morning strolling along the coast path, I hopped back on to the bus at 12.30pm to continue my journey down the West Coast. I am now on to my third different driver and there are about 27 of us on the bus. They seem to be a really nice group of people, which is lucky as I'll be spending the next few days with them! We stopped at a café in Murchison famous for it's delicious ice cream - 'Hokey Cokey' being the traditional New Zealand favourite! O...