Arthur's Pass to Wanaka via (Hokitika, Ross, Okarito, Franz Josef, Fox Glacier and Haast) 11th April - 15th April

After two unforgettable days in the mountains of Arthur's Pass it was time to continue our journey along the west coast. The first stop was Hokitika, a place once famous for its gold but now very much for its Jade. On arrival in the town it was clear what the main tourist focus was as at every corner there was a stone, wood jade shop and more art and craft than you can imagine. However, our first stop was the supermarket to purchase essential supplies and after that we parked up on the coast and went for a walk around the town. From what we had read we expected a real vibe around the place but we were left disappointed, all be it the jade factory and art and craft shops were fascinating and teasing to the wallet but that was pretty much it. After a history lesson in Jade Stone or Greenstone as the Europeans call it we headed for a coffee at one of the numerous café's in the region. Sitting down with our latte and hot chocolate we both felt a slight sense of disappointment for the first time, whether it was due to the excitement of the previous days or maybe just tiredness neither of us could put our finger on it.

After drowning our sorrows we headed across the road and into the glass blowing store. Now this was impressive, first thing that caught my eye was the huge chess table that for its pieces had penguins. The small one was $1000 and the life size one, well you can only imagine. After we spent time looking at all the different designs we made our way back to the camper for lunch, we pulled round right on to the shore line and watched the same ravage sea we had followed down the east coast, but this time in a slightly calmer mood. The waves rolled like puffs of cloud over a mountain and you had to listen carefully just to hear the waves break. We put our feet up and looked out to the ocean thinking what was out at sea, suddenly we saw something, eager and excited I ran inside to grab the camera and as it got closer we waited eagerly to see what it was, a whale, dolphin, sea… nope it was a tree. I looked at Rachel and said that sums up the day and we headed off to our campsite for the night at Lake Mahirapua stopping off on route for some fresh fruit from the side of the road and once again filling up the fuel tank. The view out over the lake was a view we have come to expect here, stunning backdrops of mountainous hills, reflecting on the tranquil calm waters of a fresh water lake. The facilities here were very pleasant, a proper flushing toilet was a treat rather than a cess pit and even a rubbish bin added to the excitement. After parking up we relaxed playing cards, watching Independence Day again and cooking the worlds fiercest chili con carne, and believe me it was hot.

When the sun came up the next day we were quite surprised to see how busy the place had become, in actual fact there was hardly a blade of grass left, however it was a Bank Holiday. After emptying our rubbish and filling our water tank we set off back down the coast. It was not long before we stumbled across the little town of Ross, clearly still hanging on to its gold mining era and famous for the Roddy nugget which was found here and was the biggest gold nugget ever found in New Zealand. We parked up and took a walk around the area. On the reservoir below a jet skier hammered around whilst kids panned for gold in the nearby museum. As we walked along the old gold mining fields we entered into old miners houses that had been renovated to show the lifestyles of the people who once lived there. Just across the road there was the local pub which was once an old hotel and bar. The place from the outside really took us back; it almost felt like you had stumbled onto a Wild West production. After a quick look around the art and craft shop we headed off once more, avoiding eye contact with the angry goat guarding the roadside. Our next destination was Franz Josef Glacier and the drive there was a long one, but glorious at the same time. The clouds wrapped around the mountains like blankets, spiraling all around in places. As we pulled over for a photo we watched in amazement as a rain cloud billowed down the mountainside towards us, swallowing trees and farm life in its path, and eventually us as well. It's a strange feeling being in the clouds, I prefer falling through them from 15000 feet than driving in them I have to say. As the rain came down we attempted once more to grab a picture of the Road Kill Falcons. This is the name we have assigned to these camera shy birds as I don't think they know how to kill their own prey anymore as all they seem to do is indulge on the stupidity of possum's crossing the road without looking. It was no surprise that at every attempt we failed and frustration won the day once more.

The road cut inland to Franz Josef, the mountains were growing and the rain continued to fall steadily on the hill side. As we neared the region we stopped off for lunch in the small hamlet of Okarito, a secluded place with a wealth of charm and a lagoon swamped with wild life. On the other side of the lagoon is New Zealand's only White Heron nesting site. After lunch we took a stroll around the water's edge, I skimmed stones across the water whilst Rachel sat on a bed of rounded grey pebbles. After a peaceful afternoon we left the surrounds of wildlife and entered into glacier country. As we drove through the region we pondered whether locals were all filthy rich as most of the houses had a garage, not with a car parked in it, but a helicopter. Not a bad little thing to invest in I guess when you are surrounded by mountains. In the distance through the cloud we saw the glacier, shinning in the little light that was creeping through, it was still as much of a spectacle as it was on the postcards. On arrival we parked up and enquired about walking the glacier. However, the plan started to fall to pieces when we discovered the forecast for tomorrow, torrential rain, all day. It was not a hard decision to not spend the money to get soaking wet but still a disappointing one as walking the glacier had been one of things we planned to do for a while. So we did what all human beings would do, walk into a pub and spend the money on beer instead, well it was happy hour. Our first beer on tap for what seemed a life time and as we sat back watching the world go by I looked up to see locals jumping and shouting at the local rugby league on the TV. My heart skipped a beat, the green field, stadium and oddly shaped ball sent a shiver down my spine, pub, and beer, football (sort of) I was in heaven. It is quite hard to describe that passion one gets from beer and sport but it's just incredible. The only down side to the bar we were in was the food, "oh my word" it looked incredible, we were pretty much dribbling watching the dishes that passed us, so after a second beer (handle) we headed to the camp site for dinner which we were devastated to find was lasts night mind blowing chili, and it was even hotter.

The next day the weatherman was right, the rain was teaming down all around, the clouds were lower than yesterday and visibility was pretty much zero. I attempted to take a leak in the cess pit but the smell, even though a good wakeup call was unbearable. Rachel put her foot down and before long we pulled back into Franz Josef, mainly to use the facilities. I strolled in and the door locked, the toilet automatically flushed and a voice said to me, "welcome to Franz Josef Toilets, please be aware the door will automatically open in 10 minutes, enjoy your time", well imagine my reaction, I almost screamed when I first heard the voice. Just the announcement finished a Beethoven symphony started to play and I… well you can imagine, I mean even the bog roll was automatic, how lazy. After my cyber experience in the loo I rejoined Rachel outside who had bumped into James and George, a couple we had helped get fuel in Rotorua. After catching up on each others activities we decided to meet up at the glacier and spend the day chilling out. The glacier was not even visible when we arrived as the rain was falling that hard so we joined them in their small spaceship and watched the films of us skydiving and them bungy jumping and also enjoyed corn chips and 4 way cards. It was kind of pleasant having some company other than each others, even though we are getting on like a house on fire. As the afternoon started to roll in they took us back to the bar we were in yesterday and brought us a beer for our troubles in Rotorua, which was awesome of them and what more could you ask for on a rainy day. We sat back in the bar watching the rain fall and lasts nights rugby on TV before making use of some free internet time before setting off on our separate ways.

We made the short drive to Fox Glacier, a mere 25km down the road, where we had decided that tonight we would shower for the first time in 7 days and we would plug our campervan in for the first time ever, wow a microwave and heater. We could barely contain ourselves as we arrived at Fox Lodge Motor Home and wired in. I made a bee line for the shower and the feeling was incredible, untimed hot water, pouring all over, finally the maggots and dead skin were gone… although the athlete's foot remained (sorry). As Rachel took her shower I finished cleaning out the camper, (note I finished cleaning) that's right contrary to what you all may have heard on the grape vine (Rachel) I do clean as well, sometimes, well OK rarely. After a spot of laundry and dinner we headed for the internet café where we checked in with the folks, a must after a couple of days of feeling slightly home sick for the first time, "must have been the beer and sport." After a long session on the net we headed back to the home for a night of films and tonight we could sit back and relax as our battery was being fully charged for the first time and the fridge would no longer cut out half way through the night.

As the morning arrived I took the opportunity to have another shower whilst Rachel cooked up a mini fry up of beans and egg, with toast! Enjoying the feeling of power we were brought back to earth with a slight hitch. Our fridge freezer had completely defrosted and the house battery was dead. In a polite description we were unhappy after paying for power for this reason. As we departed we were advised to see a mechanic to swap the battery over as it seemed like there was a fault with it, but before sorting this all out we headed back to the internet café where Rachel got hold of her Mum and I eventually, after having a parking nightmare, called and sorted out my flight to Canada with my parents. Once things were sorted on the other side of the world we visited the garage where the mechanics checked out our battery, which they managed to fix in a matter of seconds, the charger was not plugged in… sweet... don't we feel stupid and so should our camper's mechanic .

With the battery fixed, although flat, we made our way towards the glacier itself. The sky was clearer today and the weather better. The glaciers themselves are famous for the distance they travel down the mountain; nowhere else in the world outside Argentina does this occur. As we approached we looked in wonder as in front of us was a wall of ice that stretched all the way from the mountain tops. Walking to the viewpoint we watched in facination as hikers climbed the ice to reach areas filled with aquatic blue ice. After a few photos we headed back unable to get any closer to the ice. We hit the road once more intending to visit Lake Matheson where the famous mirror images of Mt Cook reflect, however the cloud had already arrived and made the tallest Mountain in New Zealand disappear like a magician making his assistant vanish. As we made headway down the coast to Haast we did little other than drive although we did pass through a cool bay called Bruce Bay where people had stacked rocks up as far as the eye could see. Although when we attempted to add to what looked like a grave yard we failed as the sand flies attacked once more, and this time they attacked in numbers. As we hit the road once more of course we did attempt to photograph some Falcons but the usual results occurred. After what seemed a life time driving we arrived in Haast where we had to plug into another powered campsite for the night to charge the battery up. This time we made sure the charger was plugged in and we relaxed for the night hoping this time we would wake to a full battery.

After a much improved night's sleep we rose early to enjoy another hot shower before starting the drive through Hasst Pass and Mt Asprings National Park, we watched as waterfall towered down all around us. The region was once covered in ice glaciers at every corner and the rock formations that now shape the landscape are still scared by the ices path. After a long drive we eventually arrived alongside Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka, the road dived straight through the town leaving a stunning backdrop either side of us. As we dropped into Wanaka we immediately pulled up on the water's edge for lunch and enjoyed autumn views as the trees around the lake slipped gently into their autumn colours. We walked off lunch around the lake side and found a quant bench sitting at the water's edge where we sat and watched as the world went by. As time moved on we headed back through the warm colours leaving us feeling snug in our jumpers before being attacked by a small dog. Rachel jumped out of her skin and if I'm honest so did I and after all the noise we went our separate ways. We arrived back to the campervan and headed for Albert Town for the evening and where we found camp alongside a fast flowing river which was surrounded by huge fir trees. As the sun went down we enjoyed a change to our evening menu from the inferno chili to vegetable medley and lamb sausages, a much cooler dish that left us feeling humbled whilst we saw the night out by watching Liar Liar.