Franz Josef: Day Ninety-One (18 January)

Another long drive today – all the way to Franz Josef Glacier. But when the views are so amazing it doesn’t feel like a trial, even when the first bit of road is accurately named “The ZigZag”.

We stopped briefly at Wanaka and had lunch at Lake Hawea Lookout then steeled our nerves in Makarora for the drive through the Haast Pass. Because most of New Zealand’s mountains are extinct volcanoes the sides drop away very steeply and the roads are quite narrow. At least they drive on the left like us!

We reached Franz Josef a little after 5pm, checked into our motel and, after dinner, walked up to the Glacier. The ice is made of blue in parts not just white!

Barnaby

Otago Pensinula: Day Eighty-Three (10 January)

Another long drive today from Twizel to the Otago Peninsula by Dunedin, which is also called the Scotland of the South.

We stopped on the way for a photo stop at Lake Aviemore Hydro-electric dam. Then drove onto Oamaru where we booked our motel. On the way we saw the strangest thing ... people made out of straw bales!

Finally we arrived. The last part of the drive was along a very very windy road right next to the water. The view was very pretty and I liked it but Miss Robb had to keep her eyes on the road!

Later that evening we went out again, right to the end of the peninsula because the lady at the motel told us we could see fairy penguins coming ashore at the beach there. It was rather chilly, even more than on Phillip Island, but we did see lots of penguins. One got rather scared by some silly people taking its picture and it ran away right between Miss Robb's legs!!

Barnaby