Kea

Well New Zealanders love nothing better than a good Kea story. It seems these birds can (and love) destroying anything from windscreen wipers to weather stations.

Anyway here's one we found looking for some mischief around the car park.

Pancake Rocks

Our final tourist stop for the day was Pancake Rocks. There was a walkway around top and you could see blow holes where the waves would crash out of from.

State Highway 6

From Hokitika the road hit the coastline for a breathtaking drive North. Road very twisty in places and everything in the van was thrown everywhere. At one stage thought we'd hit something but it was just the cutlery drawer spewing its contents all over!

Coastline was very rugged and totally unspoilt - can't believe how vast and unpopulated it all is.

Hokitika

Drove of from Franz Joseph heading North. Stopped off at a great town called Hokitika for lunch. The first time we'd been at the coast proper - fantastic beach - really rugged with what looked like great surfing waves but I'm sure you'd probably get swept away in at instant!

Another glacier

Up and out the camp site before 9 and first stop the Franz Joseph Glacier. Walked up to it along the stony river bed. Couldn't get really close unless you paid a lot of money for a helicopter trip or an organised tour but after the Moreno Glacier in Argentina it was more a question of not missing out. Still good to see it though.

Rainforest Retreat in Franz Joseph Glacier

Quite a cool camp site. Went to the happening bar and restaurant or dinner as we had arrived late and wanted to treat ourselves after our amazing smelly walk. Had a beer to celebrate and some great food and then back to chill in the van. Our site was tucked in to a little niche of rain forest which was pretty cool :)

Slept like a rainforest log! :)

Over the Haast Pass and on

No time to rest after finishing the hike as we had a long drive ahead of us.

Off to Queenstown (again), Arrortown (again), Wanaka (again) and then branched off over the Haast Pass to the West Coast. Quite a drive all on all - took us about 6 hours. Not easy in a tank!

The coast is not what we expected - really rugged with rainforest clinging to the cliffs down to the Tasman Sea.

Got to Franz Joseph Glacier (it's a town) and checked in to the Rainforest Retreat for the night and a 3 day overdue shower!!