So after a long bus drive up, mostly sleeping (just like when i go to uni on the train, cept i dont embaress myself by waking up as my head tilts to one side. Usually i fit in on the bus cos everyone is sleeping and theres a head rest to catch your head). So the afternoon was pretty laid back, didnt do much at all just had a few beers and laid back ready for ice climbing on NYE tomorrow!

SO i got up realy early made my lunch for the day, well a poor excuse for a lunch. Then headed down to the glacier centre in the pouring rain only to guess correctly that the tour had been cancelled, so i booked in the next day and so did Chris and Maire (a couple i met on the milford track, very nice and hilarious couple to hang out with). Now because these guys had a car and we didnt want to waste the day we went and saw the glaciers anyway, both franz josef and fox glacier.

Franz was an adventure and a half, first off we were meet by 2 lovely keas ( a new zealand bird, quite a big bird). The river changes its course so often throughout the valley of crushed rock and had actually decided to come along side the path which led us to closer to the face of the glacier. So being in a dventurous mood crossed the river along a series of precarioiusly placed rocks hahaha it was a hoot, with all of us having some wobbly moments. We continued as far as we could until we weer advised to go no furhtur by a sign so we admired the huge chunk of ice in the pouring rain! Next was Fox, as we arrived the sun was out and it didnt look too bad, then as we opened the doors the rain came! and came hard! This glacier was a little different and much more lively, i think they were still running tours on this one.

After looking at a similar glacier combined with getting up very early it was time for a nap. We headed back and i got some dinner ready and had a few beers with some interesting people, like a school teacher i met from queensland who sounded exactly like Trent from Punchbowl hahahaha he spoke in a high pitch voice and say 'eh' at the end of each sentence hahahaha i was trying so hard not too laugh or take him off!After dinner Chris randomly came and picked me up after a number of confusing text messages and i although i had already eaten i sat with them and watched them have some very nice indian whilst i enjoyed a bottle of wine. Chris convinced the brazilian waitress that australians dont eat dinner which was amusing and we all chilled out then went back to my hostel for some beers then to the local pub for the last hour before NEW YEARS!!!

So wooh yeh ./ . . . hahah totoally recommened having NYE some where else but Franz. At about 11:30 everyone left the pub for some reason. So i decided to splurge and got a long island ice tea! It was great until they started playing terrible music, maybe thats why everyone left! Then afta midnight everyone karaoke on the big screen so i soon left afta that to get a good nighst sleep before ice climbing!!!

After a little sleep in we got going on the ice climb, led by our experts Jules and Charlie. Jules was a NZ'er and Charlie a crazy Spainaird (i dunno how to spell it, but he was from spain hahaha) The hike up on the glacier was bout 300-400 up the glacier so we didnt see a great deal of it but the ice walls we were about to climb were awesome!!! At first it was extremely hard, but after a few climbs and learning to focus on your feet for transfereing the load we got it all going! Chalrie was screaming at us to get angry when we were hammering the ice with our axes!! After moving onto a harder set of walls I was challenged by charlie to do it with one axe, so much different and yet double the excitment! Trying so hard not too fall hahaha was hilarious!!

Anyway that was a great day out then, got plenty of climbs in and then was absolutely stuffed after and went straight to bed that night, the next day i had planned to hitch a ride with Chris and Maire to Hokitika for a bit of relaxation!