The drive to Wanaka was a very tiresome one. Mainly because I'd had no sleep from the night before but also due to the same scenery we were passing for the third time as we drove along the Kawarau river back towards Cromwell. Not to say that there aren't better things to look at... The extra snowfall the region had had brought with it a fresh experience. The weather was relatively nice though and the overcast clouds had warmed the environment up a little which was very welcoming!

Just before we arrived in Wanaka we reached a place I'd been recommended to visit by none other than my Gran! It went by the name of 'Puzzle World' and included a great maze and illusion room. The maze took us lads the best part of an hour but we conquered it before coming to the worlds funniest toilets. Yes that's right, toilets. They were an optical illusion of an old roman toilet room which made you appear as though you were back part of the scene - pretty clever if you ask me! We then strolled into the illusion rooms which were packed with mind bending holograms, puzzles and even a slanted room where things just appeared to be defying gravity!

Wanaka itself is a beautiful town situated beside an idyllic lake with mountain views. As one of the areas closest towns to the ski resorts Cordona and the Treble Cone it was reminiscent of Queenstown culture with a ton of boarders walking the streets! We used the remainder of the day to generally chill out, check the internet and strike lucky with some cheap accommodation due to the off-peak season! The holiday camp was 5* rated and came complete with sauna and hot tub - b e a utiful!

The next day we really got stuck in with a midday hike up Mount Iron - the tallest peak close to Wanaka town. It was your typical 1h30 walk which we powered through in just over an hour. The day was really overcast so views were limited but it was still nice to get out and about. Once we'd recovered from the brisk stroll, it was time to hit the road again and travel up route 6 towards the illustrious west coast!

The drive was magical and we had plenty of points of interest to stop at on route. The rain was lashing down and the cloud was covered the forest covered mountain ranges which gave the landscape a jurrasic parkesque feel! There were waterfalls a plenty too with the huge influx of water toppling powerfully off the steep peaks. At a stop off in Haast we found out that on average the area gets 10x the rain London does... Here's praying that our last 10 days aren't wet! One good thing is that the further north we travel the warmer it should get - result!

The following day we continued our trip up the Coastal world heritage highway and stopped at Fox Glacier expecting a walk up and take in the sights. However, the recent rain had foiled our plans and the track was closed :-(. We still got a good view from the base but it just wasn't the same so continued our drive up to Franz Josef. On arrival we booked our glacier walks straight away to quell the hunger before settling down into a sweet as holiday park for the night. That evening we chilled at the bar and had a few games of pool before we got a surprise visit from none other than Christabelle and Gina who'd travelled all the way from Christchurch on a mini road trip for their 4 day weekend. The bar was sweet as, warm log fire, free pool and it was relatively busy for a small town joint. The early night went out the window, especially when George got hooked on cup stacking (don't ask) and we were allowed to request tunes from behind the bar... Ah well, the power hookup would surely allow us a deep sleep before the guided trek the next day.

The forecast was good and it didn't disappoint! Warm sunshine that sure helped the bare legs in shorts (no denim allowed, it holds water too badly apparently). What it didn't help much was the 4 layers we were wearing on our top halves - toasty! The walk started off with the group being split into 2 groups depending on fitness and then broken down even further as we reached the base of the glacier. Franz Josef glacier has been moving and changing daily for thousands of years and since the 1980s it has grown by almost 2km which let the guides take us right up the centre and straight onto the ice. Before that, we had to climb the massive mound of rubble and boulders that had been deposited at the bottom, a task in itself. Me and Woody had opted for group 1 that would be leading the way up making/clearing the path for the groups to follow. Our guide, Tai, was as nimble as a cat swinging his ice pick to form steps for us to follow. The ice was immediately noticeable with a route onto the glacier hard to navigate but we soon made it into what can only be described as a different land. Crampons digging in we climbed higher and higher with formations of bright blue and white ice surrounding us. The climb itself wasn't overly challenging but the terrain was simply incredible. It was hard to appreciate the fact you were stood on 400 meters of ice below you. We soon did get a idea though with wide cracks and crevices apparent as we climbed a little more. We then slid down one of the ices self made slides before coming to what was known as 'the highlight'. Walls of bright blue ice at the highest point we'd reach with intricate walkways craved to allow us to squeeze through out into a magnificent view. Everyone you looked at was in awe of the sheer beauty of the surroundings and its epic proportion. We then began our decent skipping across an easier track across the surface of the glacier, it was a shame our time on the ice had to end. I'm so glad we chose to do the full day hike as it was simply amazing and well worth every penny. It's hard to believe that we'd only really touched the tip of the glacier and that it stretches for another 20km behind that what had spread down into the valley we climbed. A fantastic day was capped off by another quality night in the bar to let us rest the aching legs before heading further north the next day - who knows what we'll end up seeing the further we go?!

Ps. I'm sorry for the lack of photos - NZ internet is not very cheap and not at all fast... I'll try get some up asap!
Pps. I've had to shave off the ol' face warmer (aka my beard) - sleeping with the wiry bush on my chin was just too uncomfortable!