Trip Index
- Planning and preparing for our epic vacation to New Zealand and the Maldives
- Flying to New Zealand via Honolulu, visiting Auckland and Devonport
- Waitomo Caves and Tongariro Alpine Crossing
- Taupo, Waikite Thermal Pools, to Christchurch
- Mt. Cook National Park
- AJ Hackett Kawarau Bungy Jump, K-Jet boating, hanging out in Queenstown
- Day 1 of Routeburn Track 3-day luxury guided walk
- Day 2 of Routeburn Track 3-day luxury guided walk
- Day 3 of Routeburn Track 3-day luxury guided walk
- Arrowtown, Wanaka, Mount Roy Track
- Franz Josef Glacier
- Tranz Alpine train Greymouth to Christchurch, then to Singapore
- From Singapore to Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
- Day 1 and 2 at the Conrad Maldives: beach villa, overwater spa, Atoll Market, snorkeling
- Day 3 at the Conrad Maldives: water villa, diving with manta rays, meeting new friends
- Day 4 and 5 at the Conrad Maldives: Vilu, Sunset Grill, reef diving
- Day 6 and 7 at the Conrad Maldives: whale sharks, Ithaa, snorkeling
- Returning from the Maldives via Singapore
- 10 hour layover in Seoul and landing safely in SFO
***
Kaleb and I woke up Monday morning and found ducks frolicking next to the brook outside our motel room.
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| quack quack |
After a quick breakfast, we checked out, hopped in the car and drove towards Franz Josef Glacier village. We made a few stops, including vista points and a quick hike to
Blue Pools. Despite the fresh, clear water, there were mosquitoes which enjoyed a meal from me. :(
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| windy day on Lake Wanaka |
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| weather starting to turn |
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| bridge over Blue Pools |
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| it'd be even bluer if it was sunny |
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| super clear water |
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| vista point off Haast Highway on the West Coast |
We arrived at
Punga Grove Motel in Franz Josef Glacier village, checked in and got a bottle of milk.
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| okay bed |
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| toiletries |
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| good sized bathroom |
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| shower only |
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| kitchen |
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| coffee/tea/hot chocolate/cookie |
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We got a hold of Jen and Nate (remember our fellow hikers on the
Routeburn Track?) and made plans to meet for dinner. In the meantime, Kaleb and I roamed the small "main street" looking for souvenirs and found a nice selection at the
West Coast Wildlife Centre. He ended up buying some wool gloves and
paua shell jewelry for his mom and sister. I got some paua earrings and a necklace as well as a piece of cake in the cafe to tie me over until mealtime.
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| moist lemon pound cake |
Afterwards, we headed over to
The Landing to meet up with our new friends. They had done some fun kayaking at a nearby lake as part of a combo
tour; Jen's cousin Tyler worked there as a guide which was cool. A heli-hike was part of their package, but it was postponed until tomorrow due to inclement weather. They also had a voucher for a pizza dinner at The Landing. I had seen signs advertising
whitebait fish on the side of the highway coming here so when I saw whitebait fritters on the menu, I had to order it. I couldn't really taste any fish, just egg, so it was disappointing, especially paying $38 for essentially a thin omelette over fries and slaw. On the other hand, the pizzas were pretty good, so I would eat that on a return visit.
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| mussels (ok) |
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| whitebait fritters (meh) |
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| venison stew (decent) |
After dinner, we found out that Tyler was performing a fire show in front of
Chateau Franz hostel, so we returned to our motels to freshen up and met up again later that night. Jen was waiting for a call from Tyler to know when the show would start, so to pass the time, we stopped by the
Alice May restaurant for beer. I was the last of us to enter the quaint establishment and right when I walked past the threshold, an elderly gentleman enjoying a laugh with his comrades got up from a table and somehow in the process, punched me in the stomach! He didn't see I was coming up behind him as he swirled from his seat. I was so surprised, all I could say to him was, "You punched me in the stomach!" and continued walking towards the bar. It didn't hurt, just pushed some air out of my lungs. He seemed in shock as he stood there digesting what just happened.
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| enjoying a pint |
Of course, right when the beers were poured by the bartender, Tyler calls and everyone had to quickly down their libations. We walked a few minutes over to the hostel to watch the festivities.
Fire dancing in this sleepy hamlet? The demonstration was pretty cool, in fact, we could have played with the burning props if we wanted to, but I personally didn't want my hands reeking of kerosene.
32-second clip of Tyler and others showing off their skills: (click
here if you cannot see the preview below)
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| some cool shots I caught with my point-and-shoot |
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| even works in black-and-white |
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After the event, we bid good night and bon voyage to our new found friends and headed back to our motel.
The next day, we were scheduled for an
Ice Explorer helicopter hike on Franz Josef Glacier, but the weather was not in our favor. It was raining in the morning. Our appointment was for 11:50am; the rain had stopped by then. Still hopeful, we headed over to the Franz Josef Glacier Guides office on the main street but we saw a sign propped up outside saying "No glacier tours today". :( We went in and received a receipt for tour cancellation due to weather.
New Zealand Fine Touring would refund the money to us as the glacier guide company hadn't been paid yet. Since we had
hiked on a glacier in Canada less than a year ago, we didn't feel like we missed out but it would have been our first helicopter ride.
For Plan B, we went on a few
hikes:
Lake Wombat,
Franz Josef Glacier, and
Terrace Walk.
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| Lake Wombat trailhead |
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| relatively easy stroll |
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| surreal environment |
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| blue mushrooms! bet they're poisonous |
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| after walking through the mysterious forest, Lake Wombat was almost a let-down! |
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| approaching Franz Josef Glacier - too cloudy for helicopters to fly |
35-second vid of the Franz Josef Glacier area: (click
here if you cannot see the preview below)
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| look how far the glacier has retreated since 2008 |
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| glacier even more retreated in 2014 |
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| waterfalls |
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| Terrace Walk trail, easy |
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| mysterious |
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| we didn't know about this, had to turn back |
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| bridge connecting village to the main highway |
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We drove back to the motel, then walked to the grocery store to grab something for dinner.
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| our rental was a Corolla hatchback...which one is ours???? |
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| tonight's dinner, yum yum |
Our visit to New Zealand was getting close to the end. :( Tomorrow, we drive to Greymouth and hop on the Tranz Alpine train back to Christchurch...stay tuned!
***
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