Fox Glacier and on to Wanaka

On Sunday morning in Franz Joseph Village, we checked the internet for the status of the NC State vs Clemson game (bad news!), and then went to a yummy breakfast at the Aviator's Cafe, where helicopter rides are booked. They had cool maps of the Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers on the walls. 


Now we are listening to our Trinity Christmas music in the car, and driving through the rain.  We had a brief stop to see the Fox Glacier from a scenic Viewpoint.  This time we opted to stay in the car for the view, rather than see it in the driving rain.  We learned at the museum yesterday that this part of New Zealand gets 17 feet of rainfall a year. As hard as it is to believe that, we are seeing why.


We stopped again, this time for a short walk in the rain to see the Fantail Falls.  This
waterfall is not huge, but was significant because it was where the put the waterwheel to generate power to run the road building equipment for the highway through Haast Pass. 
The trees here indicate signs of a rain forest in that the branches are all fuzzy with lichen. 




The road we are driving on today had a warning at the beginning of the "slides", or avalanches.  We have seen four construction sites with heavy equipment clearing the roads.  Some of these places were down to a single lane while they did repairs.  These are constant reminders of the faults that run the length of New Zealand.


We also visited the World Heritage Center at Haast that gave the history of the region, Including an example of the Maori dress made from the local flax.  It looked a little like macrame.  There was also a store there that purchased possum fur. 

The ride through the mountains we drove with clouds shrouding the peaks.  It was a misty, raw scene of nature. 


Wanaka itself is a small lake side town with a pretty park full of weeping willow trees fronting the lake.  There is a duck crossing over the road, and we saw the ducks crossing there. 


Tonight we had a great dinner at the Lake Bar overlooking the Lake Wanaka.  We are staying for the next three nights at the at Wanaka Wyndham, a beautiful place with a heated pool and a heated bathroom.