After arriving in Franz Josef, we checked into the Rainforest Retreat. That afternoon we had a briefing and paid for our glacier walk the following day. That evening we just watched TV in the hostel- The Simpsons and Family Guy, followed by Back to the Future Part III... genius!!

Next morning we were up and off to the Glacier after getting kitted out with our gear. A massive long walk to the terminal face face was then followed by a trek up the glacier, through crevices and up vertical faces by steps our guide was carving out with a pick-axe!! The views were spectacular!! After luch we continued to our high-point, before making our way down again. We then hit the outdoor hot tub to warm us up before some food. After dinner we went to the pub at the hostel for a couple of beers and some killer pool- me and Nine Iron were royally stitched... every time it was our turn there were literally one or two balls left on the table... so we lost... early!!!

Next morning it was up early to head towards the Fox Glacier. There we went for an early morning walk to Lake Matheson- flip flops were a very poor choice... my toes felt like they were going to fall off!! On the other hand the views of Mt Cook and Mt Tasman were awesome.. even if the lake didn't allow for the reputed mirror reflection photo shots of the mountains!! From there we drove through the Haast Pass, a spectacular valley drive, before stopping to head down to a river where we did some stone skimming. Next we went to a waterfall to view a pretty average optical illusion! It was here Andy realised he'd lost his camera... gutted!! Been there, done that!!

After a drive through and past the spectacular Lakes Wanaka and Hawea, we got to the town of Wanaka for the night.