Tomato Tamahto, Crampon or Tampon: South Island, NZ

Be it extreme adventure or leisure hiking, if you’re into outdoor activities, New Zealand is the place to be!  This is especially true of the South Island.  Everything about this place makes it unforgettable.  Starting from Christchurch, we drove a big loop of the southern part of the island.   

The first activity we couldn’t pass up was hiking on the glaciers.  The two most popular glaciers on the west coast of the island are Franz Joseph and Fox.  We opted for the Heli Hike tour of Franz Josef.  On the morning of our adventure we sadly awoke to low clouds and rain.  The weather grounded our chopper for the day which left us with a day of hiking in the rain.  Fortunately, we were prepared and had a great day tramping just below the Fox Glacier face.  To recover from our wet, dreary day we enjoyed a soothing dip in the hot springs.   

Fox Glacier River

Fox Glacier Terminal Face

Rain Forest at the base of Fox Glacier

Fox Glacier

The next day the weather cleared.  We rebooked our trip and were treated to an amazing flight up to the top of the glacier.  After climbing out of the helicopter, we strapped on crampons (spiked plates that attached to our boots) and off we went.  Too easy!  By being dropped off directly on the glacier, we were given more time to walk around and explore the good part of the ice.  By good, I mean cleaner, bluer, and less crowded.  We all loved the experience and were glad we waited a day for the helicopter.  I would have paid double if only I knew what was coming next.  After we finished our tour, we went back to our car to regroup before lunch.  Tom (Jason’s dad), in the straightest face, says, “What do they call those things? Tampons?”  Nobody could correct him because we were laughing too hard.  -Funniest moment of their 3 week trip!!  

Franz Josef Glacier from the helicopter

Ready for the heli hike 

Waiting for a lift back

I got this!

Ice Tunnel

CR-ampons!

Also, worth a mention is Lake Matheson.  It’s famous for its reflective views.  On a still, clear day Lake Matheson reflects the unforgettable image of New Zealand's highest peaks, Mount Cook and Mount Tasman.  Lake Matheson is popular with many photographers because the surface of the lake is a perfect natural mirror.  We went for a sunset view.  We saw enough to get the idea, but the clouds hung a little too low to see it in all its majesty.  So, we woke up early the next morning to catch the sunrise.  Both times we failed to capture the postcard image, but it was still spectacular. 

Waiting for the sun to set at Lake Matheson

Just after sunrise

Almost back to the car when the clouds lift

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a great passenger.  Twenty minutes into the drive, I’m asleep.  That’s why I’m giving myself special recognition for staying awake during the SEVEN HOUR drive from Lake Matheson to Te Anau.  Every minute of the drive was gorgeous!  The time passed so quickly; we stared out our windows in amazement.   

West Coast of New Zealand

Haas Pass Blue Pools

Thunder Creek Falls

It’s no secret that New Zealand has extremely variable weather.  The best you can do is expect the unexpected.  The Milford Sound is one of the rainiest spots in the world.  On the flip side, it’s stunning if the weather cooperates.  You can see how booking a cruise through the Sound in advance would be a little risky.  Thankfully, all was well and the sun was shining.  Jason chose the smallest tour boat which offered the most close up views of the wildlife and other features along the edge of the sound.   He got exactly what he was after.  We were in eye shot of penguins, seals and waterfalls from every angle, including underneath.

 

 

While in the area of Milford Sound we did two hikes, the Chasm and Key Summit.  Key Summit was a 1.5 hour hike straight to the top.   Although hard on the ticker it offered stunning panorama of Fiordland. The walk down was much faster but equally hard on the body.  Back in the car, we devoured some delicious cookies to which made our recovery that much quicker.  In general, we did a lot of hiking on the trip.  In fact, I don’t think a day went by where we didn’t hike (and subsequently eat a cookie or two)!  Charlotte (Jason’s mom) even lost weight on their 3 week trip.  Well done!

They made it!  The return from Key Summit

View of Lake Marion from Key Summit

Key Summit

Fiordland

   Our next stop was Queenstown.  This center for adventure has the quintessential ski town feel.  We didn’t waste any time getting started.  Our first stop was the Shotover River Jet Boat.  This was the scariest thing we did on the trip.  These boats whizz through the narrow canyons at speeds around 40mph.  The drivers aim for the canyon walls and then turn at the last second leaving only a few inches between you and the rock walls.  We were amazed at the skill of the driver…and the fact we were all still alive at the end.  

Shotover River

Our next stop was slightly less hair-raising.  We took gondola ride to the top of a mountain which overlooked Queenstown.  At the top there was a viewing center, hiking trails, and luge tracks.  Everyone loved the luge except for Jason.  He was having a great time until he wrecked his luge in a turn and ended up losing to his wife.  You can see the despair in his eyes in the picture below.  You can also barely see Tom in the top left corner.  Charlotte is out of view somewhere near turn 1.

Keep leaning into that turn Jason...you still won't catch me:)

  That night on the way to dinner we made a pit stop at an ice bar called Below Zero.  Here are some pictures of the amazing ice carvings inside.

 With the variety of activities in Queenstown we had slightly different agendas.  The next morning we split into two groups so we could all get our adrenaline fill.  Jason and I chose white water rafting while Charlotte and Tom chose a tour of a sheep farm.  The scariest part of the rafting trip was the drive to the water.  In a standard sized bus, we were on a single lane jeep track.  We were cruising along the edge of a 1000’ cliff when our bus driver was kind enough to open the door so we could have a better view of the river below.  All we noticed was the 3” of clearance between the wheels and the edge.  My stomach turns as I'm reliving it! Tom and Charlotte thoroughly enjoyed their sheep farm.  They had a cruise across the lake, watched a shearing, sheep dog show, saw some unique animals, and saw some lambs that were only a few weeks old.  They are now sheep experts if you have any questions.

Scottish Highland Cattle

 On the way out of Queenstown we made one more stop.  You can’t come to this town and not have someone bungy jump.  Jason was our volunteer.  He chose the 150’ jump off the Kawarau Bridge.  He said his biggest fear was standing on the edge with his toes hanging over.  You would have never known! He walked right up to the edge, smiled, waved, then jumped.  He made it look like a walk in the park.  Although he didn’t get dunked in the river below as he was hoping, he was grinning ear to ear when he walked back up.  Afterwards he said that jumping wasn’t a problem because it was the fastest way off the edge.

Nice form

 Mt Cook was our last destination before our return to Christchurch.  The park offered amazing views of the mountains and glacial lakes with icebergs flowing through.  We spent the day hiking. During our  briefing for the last hike of the trip, we all heard, very clearly, Jason say it was flat.  How foolish were we to believe him! As expected, it was another lung pounding hike to the top of a lookout.  Then we got back to the car he said, “okay, one more.”  Ugh!  Why was nobody surprised?!  All joking aside, it was all worth it.   

Mt Cook

Mt Cook, Hooker Glacier, and the Hooker Lake

Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake

Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake

Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake

Lake Pukaki

 That night we returned to Christchurch and had one last round of drinks to celebrate our incredible holiday.  It was awesome spending time with Jason’s parents.  You wouldn’t even have known they both turned 60 during the trip.  They kept up amazingly well despite Jason’s best efforts to wear them out.  Funnily enough, I was always the first one to bed.  

We feel blessed that we are afforded the opportunity to visit so many amazing places while on this assignment.  Being able to share those experiences with family and friends makes it all the more special.  We’ll cherish the memories we made with Tom and Charlotte.   We’re also anxiously awaiting the arrival of our next guests!