April 21st, New Zealand Day 6

The entirety of this day would be spent traveling to our next destination, the hamlet of Fox, population 200 with 3 taverns, close to the famous Fox Glacier. It only really exists because tourists stop there on their way to see Fox Glacier and it is also the base from which several tours depart. This includes a helicopter ride to the top of the glacier and the opportunity to walk around on it.

Our first stop along the way was Wanaka (WAH-nah-kah) on the shores of Lake Wanaka. This particular background was used for part of Gandalf's ride to Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor and the city of the White Tower. The lake's waters were almost as clear as glass and you could see right to the bottom, several meters, from a dock that jutted out from the beach. Shortly thereafter, we stopped by the spectacular Lake Hawea (hah-WEH-yah) and I took some magnificent photos of its turquoise surface. After that it was onto the Haast Pass, an opening through the mountains but flanked on either side by them and home to the Haast River.

We stopped at Thunder Creek Falls, where I took a good picture of it as well as Thunder Creek. Further down the road I managed a fairly good photo of what I think is Mt. Mcfarlane with its snow covered slopes. Then on to Knights Point where there were some interesting rock formations in the sea below. It is reminiscent of the Great Ocean Road in the Australian state of Victoria or even western California between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

We finally arrived in Fox and everyone departed for their various activities. I, and a few others, opted for a hike to the leading edge of the glacier. There were others who opted for the helihikes but that option was too rich for my blood. To get to the edge of the glacier, you walk along pebbly river banks and then through rainforest before reaching the glacier. The glaciers in New Zealand run almost to the sea which is unusual for those latitudes, about 40 degrees South. The glacier is retreating slowly but it does go through periods of advancement. The bottom is generally dirty as it has picked up all of the pebbles along its retreat but there were some patches of the clear blue-white ice which is at the glacier's summit. Looking back from the glacier, the valley it carved out is impressive.

That night, after dinner, everyone went to see some glow worms which live on tree stumps in the nearby forest. They were interesting even though it was nothing new to me. That night, we were treated to a full moon and I could clearly see that it hangs upside down in the Southern Hemisphere. We retired knowing that another day of travelling awaited us in the morning.

Photos are now available at: http://newzealandday6.blogspot.com/