After being in New Zealand for a week now, we have noticed that the Kiwis are consistently kind people. We had breakfast at our motel this morning. One of the guests’ taxi did not show up to take them to the airport, so the owner of the motel took them in her personal car. Another pair of Kiwi’s having breakfast stepped right in to refresh the continental breakfast, make coffee, etc. for all guests. After they needed to leave, Maureen stepped in until the owner returned. We then hit the road to begin our long 7.5 hour drive south to Franz Josef.

Our drive started with winding roads through river valleys as we made our way to the west coast. Once we made it to the coast, we were greeted with stunning vistas of the coastline, known as a ‘surfer’s paradise’. The west coast of New Zealand is one of the more untamed parts of the country with gorgeous beaches, cliffs, and rainforests. We were lucky to have yet another bright sunny day to take in all the beauty of the turquoise water customary of the South Pacific.

Next we visited Punakaiki, otherwise known as the Pancake Rocks. These formations are formed by layers of sediment crushed together for thousands of years that have been pushed to the surface by seismic action – a true natural wonder.

Our final planned stop was Hokitika Gorge, a breathtakingly beautiful glacial river with suspension bridges. Although it looks fake, yes, the water really is that color! As this site is nearly an hour off of the main highway, we nearly had the place to ourselves. One common thread in New Zealand is the constant sound of cicadas in the forested regions. They are deafeningly loud, even through the car doors as we are driving on the highway. You can hear them in the video of the gorge below.

After our long drive we made it to Franz Josef, a town at the base of the Franz Joseph Glacier, where we will be staying for the next two nights. We had a nice dinner at a local bar featuring local greenshell mussels and on the walk back we noticed it is noticeably colder here in the glacial region of New Zealand – it has dropped by about 20 degrees. Tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, we will be able to fly to the top of the Franz Joseph Glacier in a helicopter.

P.S. Thank you all for your comments – we read them all and really appreciate people engaging with our blog. It makes it even more fun for us to share!

P.P.S. GO HAWKS!