Rain Forests and Glaciers
From Wanaka we headed across the mountains to the west coast where the vegetation changes dramatically to rain forest and where there are several glaciers. We stopped several times to walk through the forest and observe glacial streams and waterfalls. The rainfall in this area is measured in meters – 6 to 7 meters annually!
We spent 2 nights in Franz Joseph nestled under beautiful snowy mountains. During our day there we took a 5-hour hike up one of the small peaks to observe the Frans Joseph Glacier from above. The previous day we also visited the bottom of near-by Fox Glacier. Both are amazing geological features that have carved steep canyon walls at their bases.
From Frans Joseph we went to Hokitika before crossing Arthur’s Pass back to Christchurch. Hokitika was our last encounter with the west coast, and we enjoyed walking along the beach in the evening. We also visited Hokitika Gorge and its swing bridge over striking turquoise water. Crossing Arthur’s Pass we experienced amazing road engineering and wonderful alpine scenery. At the top we met the famous Kea, a beautiful but annoying mountain parrot.
After the Pass we stopped to hike and have lunch among huge limestone boulders at Kura Tawhiti where “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” was filmed. Following that it was time for an ice cream break before driving on!
