January 14, 2002
QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND
Adventure capital of the world.
Hey, so since we last wrote, we spent a day driving westward to chase the sun down and went to Franz Josef. It was raining in Queenstown so Kim and I detoured towards the West Coast where it had been raining the week before (this prepared us for lots of outrageous waterfalls). We took our time driving through Arthur's Pass National Park which lies across the Southern Alps, Greymouth (a coastal town), past Shantytown, through Hokitika to get to Franz Josef by evening with a gorgeous view of the Franz Josef Glacier.

Next morning, we woke up early to head to the office where we put our boots, ice gear & extra layers on to get on a chopper that took us 3 km (about 2 miles) up the glacier ridge. There, we landed atop the blue ice and began our little trek around the glacier, through the ice sculptures, a little ice hole, and between some slick blue ice walls. Kim and I went camera crazy and took lots of photos that you will soon get to see. Hike over, back on the chopper, back to town, and then back in the car for the most amazingly spectacular drive we've ever (or at least me) been on.
click photo to go to album


The drive was dramatic with lots of waterfalls, lake views with mountainous backdrops, and beautiful panoramas. We stopped at Thunder Creek Falls and Fantail Falls before passing the Haast Pass which is the main divide between the western and eastern sides of the Southern Alps. We took a slight detour to Lake Wanaka to stop for food at the very charming small town, and onward past the most beautiful Lake Hawea as the sun set across the mountains across the lake and causing the like to shine. Kim and I made it to Queenstown by nightfall and spent our first day here on a tour to Milford Sound which is actually a fiord - the 14th of 14 along the coast. It even has a Mt. Kimberly with a waterfall whose name starts with S but we can't remember and it's height is 3 times that of Niagara falls, which appears unbelievable in sight because of the sheer size of the rocky mountains around it.

Queenstown is gorgeous with Lake Wakatipu as its center (our hotel window faces on the water), and the Remarkables - an incredible mountain range that runs directly on a north-south line on earth. Tomorrow Kim and I have a full day of adventures which we shall remark upon if we're not beat, and the following day we attempt to get to Kaikoura for some whale watching.

New Zealand is incredibly beautiful - I've never seen a country like it. I could die here.
Life rocks.
We are both really happy here down under.