Friday, 23 January 2015

South Island on Wheels: Franz Josef


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Glacier Valley Eco Tour

Franz Josef Glacier
Address: SH6 Main Rd, Tartare River,  Franz Josef, New Zealand
Tel: +64 3 752 0699
Email: mike@glaciervalley.co.nz
Website: http://www.glaciervalley.co.nz/

Duration: 3 hours
Prices: Adult $70, Child (5 - 15yrs) $35, Children under 5yrs free
Departure Times: 9:30am & 1:30pm

After hiking up to view Fox Glacier (and getting drenched while doing it), we were having a hot cup of coffee at the Franz Josef Village.Next to the cafe where we were seated was a tour agency. On the whim, we signed up for their next tour to Franz Josef because we wanted to touch the ice so bad.

Mike picked us up in an hour and we realized we were all alone on this tour! The tour starts like any other regular tours, why it was named Franz Josef after Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria by the German explorer, Julius von Haast (Haast Pass is named after this guy and it's absolutely gorgeous!) in 1865. The science behind the formation (seriously, I tried to understand it, but it's pretty complicated), when and how it formed and of course, the Maori legend behind it.

The Māori name for the glacier is Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere ('The tears of Hinehukatere'), arising from a local legend: Hinehukatere loved climbing in the mountains and persuaded her lover, Wawe, to climb with her. Wawe was a less experienced climber than Hinehukatere but loved to accompany her until an avalanche swept Wawe from the peaks to his death. Hinehukatere was broken hearted and her many, many tears flowed down the mountain and froze to form the glacier.


Our hike starts through this path and through some vegetation. You can see the glacier in the background! Franz Josef Glacier is, in my opinion, an easier hike up and also closer.

Fault line
Also, some perks of joining a tour is that the guide imparts all his knowledge about Mother Nature to you. Sorry, I'm a science geek. If we did not join a tour, how will we ever know we were standing right above and facing a fault line? We were technically standing on two tectonic plates at once! How cool was that!

Glacier Ice!
The glaciers grow and shrink throughout the year. Even though it was Spring and quite warm for ice to even survive, we were able to cross the barriers with Mike and come up close to all the ice boulders! You're advised to just stay on the trek & behind the barriers which the park rangers had erected. You're allowed to go pass the barriers only with a guide.

heavy as hell
We managed to touch and play with some ice while Mike stood guard and kept a watchful eye over us. Although that piece of ice that I was holding looks small, it was freaking heavy! I even had a hard time lifting it up. As you can see, the hike and heavy ice turned my face into a huffing-puffing-pink-tomato.

We asked about predators in NZ and being a local, Mike told us there were no snakes (deadly ones anyway), no foxes, no scorpions, not much predators in New Zealand. The only way you'd die is from hypothermia or if you drown in a lake or something. What a big difference from neighbouring Australia!

Hard Rock Cafe
At the end of the hike up, Mike told us that there will be a 'Hard Rock Cafe' at the peak of the trail, over looking the glacier. Glancing around, and not seeing anything, I gave a bewildered look to Mike. He started laughing and pulled out his thermos flask and Cookie Time cookies. Sitting on a boulder, sipping my coffee, I started chuckling to myself. Hard Rock indeed.


On the Way~

I didn't really know where to place this, but it was too hilarious not to blog about!

So after staying a night in Franz Josef Village, we were on our way to Arthur's Pass where we passed by this farm with all those cows. G decided to stop for some pictures, so we slowly made our way over to the pen. The cows were scattered all over the field initially, but, as we made our approach, they all stopped grazing and stared at us.

As we walked towards them, they too, trotted towards us, forming a line eventually. Their moos were so deep and loud, I was rather apprehensive. I mean, check out the thin wires for a fence. If 20 cows started charging towards us, I really doubt the fence will hold.

formed a line!

The hilarious part was when G suddenly jumped on the spot and I think it must have scared the cows because all of a suddenly, they turned around and ran to the end of the field! 20 sets of hooves pounding the ground and deep moos really is quite alarming. The ground was shaking and I started the measure the distance and time it will take me to run back to the car.

Funny thing was, after about 30 seconds, the cows came back, formed the line and started at us again! G did the jump-on-the-spot thing repeatedly for about three or four times. All resulted the same. Perhaps we were the only humans (besides their owner/farmer) they saw and were probably just as freaked out as we were when they started running.

Cows, plains and me.

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Location: Franz Josef Glacier 7886, New Zealand

Thursday, 22 January 2015

South Island on Wheels: Fox Glacier


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Initially we wanted to stay one more night at Lake Wanaka, but thinking about the journey we have to travel from Lake Wanaka to Fox Glaciers sort of scared us a little. We drove half the distance to Haast Pass which is so beautiful!

 Because Haast doesn't have much to see, we arrived at Fox Glacier pretty early the next day. We went straight to the glaciers because it is located just before the town center. 
Glaciers

 You could join a tour where they are able to bring you right up on the ice and this happens all year round! The glacier is just one massive chunk of ice that is slowly melting over the years. We went up their ourselves as it is free and there's a dirt path paved out for you to slowly trek up. Of course, since we were on our own, we had to stick to the path and not go wandering past the barriers.

 The land where the glaciers are located is sandwiched between the sea and the highest mountains in New Zealand. Warm, moist air travelling from Australia drops snow in the higher elevations of the Southern Alps, piling it up to form large neves or snowfields. Gravity then squeezes it down the valley as if it were toothpaste and the once fluffy snowflakes are compressed into hard blue ice. The valleys are so steep and narrow that the tongues of ice have pushed far down into rainforest and not much above sea level. The forces generated by the moving tongue of ice grinds away at everything in its path to reach the terminal face at the front of the glacier. A glacier likes to find equilibrium, where the amount of ice produced in the neve is equal to the amount of ice lost to melting in its tongue. This results in the dramatic advances and retreats of the terminal face of the two glaciers.
lake at the bottom of the glaciers



From where I was standing, you could see where the "lake/river" used to be. There were small streams running from the glaciers and I suppose it will fill up in the summer when the glaciers melt much rapidly. At one point, we had to cross a small, but fast and rapid stream. It's not that deep if you fall in it, maybe about shin high. However, you may loose your footing and get pushed down the stream in the current. There were large rocks in it for you to step over to cross the stream and I didn't want my shoes to get wet and I was scared. We spent a good 15 mins there trying to cross it. 

Trying to be funny
 There are numerous signs along the path to the glaciers warning you of rock or ice fall. The rangers change the path up to the glaciers once in a while when they deem the path too dangerous to trek or there's potential ice or rock fall. The view could very much be different if I were to go back in 5 years time!

Info about the glaciers

Why you shouldn't go past the glaciers


You might be surprised to find that snow rarely falls in Franz Josef and Fox Glacier townships - but a whole lot of it falls in the nearby mountains, just what a glacier needs to produce ice. This ice pushes down the steep valleys into the forest, meaning you don't have to walk far to see an amazing West Coast ice cube.

Fox Glacier!
Because we were in a valley to see the glacier, the rain clouds were upon us once we were at the peak. We had 1km of gravel, rocks and dirt to trek down. We obviously got quite drenched. Once we reached the carpark though, the rain stopped. 

We went into the town center and realized that the town is actually very small and there's not much amenities. We drove straight to Franz Joself then because our guide book mentioned that there's a larger village as compared to Fox Glacier.

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Location: Fox Glacier 7886, New Zealand

Saturday, 17 January 2015

South Island on Wheels: Lake Wanaka


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Lake Outlet Holiday Park

Lake Wanaka
Address:   Lake Outlet Holiday Park, 197 Outlet Road, Lake Wanaka
Tel: +64 (0)3 443 7478 
Fax: +64 (0)3 443 7471 
Mobile: +64 (0)275 342 427  

We wanted to stay by the lake (or as close to it as possible). We had two options, one was a Top 10 Holiday Park and another was this. We knew Top 10 have one of the best facilities, packed with people, and bound to be slightly more expensive. However, Lake Outlet had one thing Top 10 didn't have. 

The View.

What a view to wake up to
Lake Outlet is located right on the shores of the lake. After breakfast, we'll walk along the shores of the lake and the water is so clear that we literally could see fishes swimming in it. This HP is also very secluded as you have to drive a distance from Lake Wanaka Village/Town Center and a deep drive from the main road as well. 

Being so far away from the town center, the sky is not polluted with urban lights and street lamps. You could see a million starts right above you at night. That being said, walking to the toilet can be quite a challenge at night. That's when you pull out our handy-dandy head lamp. Yes. Gilbert actually brought that along. 

I scoffed at him initially as he was being too dramatic and over the top. Guess he is just a more experienced camper than I am.

Skydive Wanaka

Skydive Wanaka

Address: Skydive Wanaka, Wanaka Airport, Mustang Lane, New Zealand
Tel: 0800 786 877 (only in NZ)


If you know me, I've sky dived in Vegas back in 2012 at a third of the price as compared to here in NZ. I must say that the money was well spent as the view is amazing. We also did it because it was Gilbert's first time and we wanted to do it together!

We were in some cafe along the highway at a toilet break and chanced upon Skydive Wanaka's brochure. We grabbed it and called up their office once we were at Lake Wanaka! They told us to call back the next morning to check with them what time we can head out. Flights are scheduled depending on the weather. 

It was a short 10 mins drive from Lake Outlet HP to the airport and after a short briefing video, we were in jumpsuits and walking up the plane! Watch the video for more!

Kai Whakapai Cafe and Bar

Hearty Big Breakfast
Address: Ardmore St, Wanaka 9192, New Zealand
Tel: +64 3 443 7795  

 After jumping out of a perfectly fine plane, we went back to the town center for brunch. After walking up and down the street several times and looking at all the cafes, we decided to stop here! We ordered just a big breakfast and shared it! The serving was humongous! There's eggs, sausages, bacon, beans, mushrooms, hash and toast! All for only NZ$21!

Boa Boa Food Company


Fish & Chips!!

 After brunch, we were walking along the street towards the lake and we chanced upon this small little fish and chips shop. We grabbed a bag (or rather a newspaper wrap) of fresh lemon sole and chips! The fish was fresh with a hint of vinegar in the fish and chips! 

 As usual, the portion was way too big. We brought the entire pack to the lakeside and sat there eating the fish and tossing left overs to seagulls, birds and ducks!

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Location: Lake Wanaka, Otago, New Zealand

Saturday, 10 January 2015

South Island on Wheels: Queenstown


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Queenstown Lakeview Holiday Park

Queenstown Lakeview

Address: Upper Brecon Street, Queenstown 9348, New Zealand  
Tel: +64 3442 7252     
Fees: $25/pax for powered site

It is one of the most conveniently located Holiday Park in Queenstown. Even the famous Top 10 in Queenstown is still a distance away from the town center and tourist attractions. Queenstown Lakeview is just a mere 5 mins walk from the Skyline Gondola or 5 mins the other direction to the town center. 

This is a large complex with about a hundred Camper sites and is also one of the most expensive Holiday Park we stayed at. I'm not complaining though. We're paying for the convince and facilities. The kitchen is a large building with lots of dining tables, stoves and sinks. We did laundry that night too and it was $4 each for the washer and dryer. You could even borrow a hairdryer from the reception before it closes.

Skyline Luge

LUGE!
Address: PO BOX 17 Brecon St Queenstown ,  New Zealand
Phone: +64 3 441 0101
Fax: +64 3 442 6391
Email: queenstown@skyline.co.nz

Luge prices
If you've been to Sentosa Island just off Singapore, you'd know we have out own luge as well. Singapore's luge is NOTHING compared to Queenstown's Skyline Luge! First, we took the Gondola from the base of the mountain up to the top. And we still had to take a chair lift further up to start riding the luge. 

A photo posted by Natasha Lim (@natatatasha) on

There were two routes, one with a higher difficulty than the other. In order to go on the track with the higher difficulty, you first had to take the easier route to get used to it. 

I must say both routes are definitely challenging. You need to break while taking corners or going down the slope or you might end up at the first aid station. On a side note: You really do WANT to break, going too fast and you'd end up missing the beautiful view of the lake and mountains that stand before you. 

AJ Hackett Ledge Bungy

I must be crazy

Address: Corner of Shotover & Camp Streets  PO Box 488  Queenstown
Phone: +64 3 450 1300
Email: bungycentre@bungy.co.nz

My first time jumping off a perfectly fine ledge? I must be crazy right?

I took a long while before I finally pushed myself off the ledge. It was so intimidating I swear! The thing about this Ledge Bungy is that you're attached to a harness around your body, so I felt more secure and I wanted to do my first jump with them.

It started off with us filling up the indemnity form, taking our weight and tagging us. I wasn't nervous yet, I was still joking around with Gilbert and all. Laughing about my weight and how 'round' I've become. 

We walk over to the box which is protruding out from the mountain cliff and you have a beautiful bird's eye view of the entire town. I wasn't nervous still. There were three guys assisting us with the harness, told us the safety rules and asked us how we want to jump.

Thanks for keeping me safe!
Gilbert actually volunteered me to go first. Because I was all gung-Ho and crap. 

So, while in the harness, the guys actually asked me to walk to the edge to take a photo. And yes, that's when I started to have cold sweat, heart thumping wildly against my chest and freaked out a little. 

I think I ran to the edge three times and all three times I ran back to the safety of the box. I couldn't bring myself to throw my body off this bloody ledge! I know, I'm not THAT crazy. 

But I'm poor and a mini adrenaline junkie. I didn't want to waste my $195 which I spent to feel like I was 'flying' or dying, which ever way you see it.

at the edge of the world.
On the fourth try, I ran to the edge, stopped at the edge because I was scared. In a milisecond, a thought flashes through my mind, "I don't want to waste the $195 that I've already spent." So I pushed myself off the edge. Gilbert said I looked like I tripped or someone pushed me off.

It wasn't the best feeling ever. It felt like I was falling forever (from the video it's just 2 seconds). It's so different as compared to sky-diving because you know someone skilled is attached with you. This.. You feel like you'll land upon the trees and you've left your heart out on the mountain top. 

I screamed a blood curling scream, even the Bungy guys told Gilbert it was an awesome scream. Gilbert realized how terrified I must have been, he knows me well, and have never heard me scream like that before. Not even on scary roller coasters. 

The rope eventually ran taut and I bounced like a yoyo several times before collecting my wits scattered around me (some probably splattered into the Rocky Mountain side and some flew into the lake), I looked up and three concerned faces peered over the ledge. I signaled my 'OK' and they lowered a rope to hoist me back to safety, where my feet are able to touch solid ground. 

The Helicopter Line: The Remarkables



Address:  Lucas Place, Queenstown Airport, Queenstown, New Zealand Postal: PO Box 1530, Queenstown, New Zealand
Phone: +64 3 442 3034
Call Free: 0800 500 575 (within New Zealand only)
Email: queenstown@helicopter.co.nz
Website: http://www.helicopter.co.nz/queenstown/

It was my first time on the helicopter and it was Gilbert's first time touching and seeing snow!

After the bungy, we were just walking around town, looking for cheap tours or activities kill time. We did not plan to take this helicopter ride at all. So, we walked past this banner and a sign advertising helicopter tours at a cheap and reasonable price, went in, paid and next thing we know, we're being picked up and we're sitting on the helicopter.

It was a little intimidating at first because we're seated next to the pilot. It was how a helicopter should feel like, according to Gilbert. The ground peels away really fast and it seems like it comes up really fast when we're landing, but according to the pilot, it's just an illusion and it's perfectly normal.

A photo posted by Natasha Lim (@natatatasha) on
We stood on The Remarkables and we felt like we're standing on top of the world! There was a puddle of 'snow' or rather, melted snow, whatever remnants from Winter. You should see how happy Gilbert was, prancing around and throwing the hard ice at me. I felt a pang of guilt then, because I knew that's not how snow was supposed to feel like. It's fluffy and soft, like cotton candy.

Then, it started to HAIL. That was my first time experiencing hail and it hurts like a hell lot!

We had an enjoyable time, the pilot is very knowledgeable and told us stories about Queenstown. From such a high altitude, you'd able to have a bird's eye view of the entire town AND the mountains.

Flame Bar & Grill

Steak!!
Address: 61 Beach Street, Queenstown East 9300, New Zealand
Phone:+64 3-409 2342

So, while purchasing tons of cookies at Cookie Time, we asked the cashier where we could have really nice steak here. She recommended us this restaurant. It's set by the lake/beach overlooking the turquoise waters.

We ordered a steak, lamb chops, a side of mussels and two mocktails. The steak & lamb were cooked to perfection, tender and juicy! If only we knew of this place before hand and reserved a table by the window.

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Location: Queenstown, New Zealand
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