1/17 10:26pm, Wanaka Motel
Disaster! Wendy tripped on a step and rolled her foot! Looks like a sprain of sorts, and I've had to carry her around all evening. Unsure what lies ahead… I was a bit anxious to get moving this morning, to drive away from the clouded West Coast, and was up ~7am. I peaked out the window and saw a few pockets of blue sky(!), though still lots of low clouds. 20 minutes later, I saw some snow capped peaks! I rallied Wendy to get up so we could visit the Franz Joseph glacier while the sky was partially amenable. We discovered that we left the eggs, leftover chili beans, and iceberg lettuce at the previous hostel, so just had yogurt with a banana for breakfast.
By the time we were ready to leave (8:30am), the sky was clouding up again, and all the blue sky was gone. A mist started to fill the air as we drove the few kilometers to the glacier trailhead. When we arrived, the air was clearer, and we had passed through the lower fog. We brought our rain gear in my pack, and hiked the 1hr 20min return hike to Franz Joseph glacier. After 10 minutes, we were in a wide open glacier basin, and had clear views of the glacier, with pockets of blue sky above! What a surprise! Several impressive waterfalls tumbled down the high mountains on each side of the moraine, and we walked towards the glacier. The place was largely void of people, given our early start.
Somw cool waterfalls on the hike in...
The snout of Franz Joseph glacier...
Wendy poses with me, and with the ranger cut-out...
Now Wendy imitates the stick figured man in trouble with the water, and again with falling objects...
On our hike back, the sun broke through a bit and lit up parts of the mountain side and glacier. Tons of people were making their way in, as we exited. Then we drove back into the misty town to fill up on gas (expensive here!) and buy some more eggs. After stopping at the DOC to buy some hut tickets for the Rees Dart hike later this week, we drove south to Fox Glacier.
We were surrounded in soupy weather, but hoped to escape the cloud when driving up to Fox Glacier. This would not be the case, as the cloud hung low on the glacier. We were surprised to find that the trail to the glacier was closed, due to wash out, so our visit was quick, and we were back on the road driving south into the "viewlessness".
So much for experiencing the glorious West Coast scenery, which is a highlight on many people's trips. At least we got a decent look at the glaciers, but missed the sweeping views of the white capped alps. We stopped at a salmon farm and bought some smoked salmon, and a reasonably priced whole fish to have for dinner tonight. You could see salmon jumping in the pools, and could pay $1 to feed them.
Fox Glacier basin was foggy, and had steep cliffs. Wendy poses with the ranger again...
A look at Fox Glacier in the distance. The trail was closed, which made for a fast visit. Then we stopped at a salmon farm off the highway...
At Haast, we stopped at a place to try a whitebait patty. Whitebait is a kind of see-through worm fish, and our pattie consisted of a handful mixed with eggs. Interesting, but not something we'd try again… I had my first sandfly confrontation. They are like gnats that bite. Very unpleasant. We also stopped at a take-away for a fish and chips, before heading east over the mountains via Haast Pass, towards Wanaka.
We decided to try a whitebait pattie ($7) at an informal shop before Haast. Wendy's expression is pretty accurate. The see-through worm fish weren't all that amazing, and we were glad we shared one...
As we made our way into the pass, the weather improved, and eventually became sunny! We stopped at several scenic waterfalls. This area had one of the tramps I was researching: "Young - Wilkens - Gillepsie". We continued south after the pass, and encountered a giant blue green lake. Wendy took tons of pics from the car.
And made our way through the forest for another waterfall. The rocky river bed was full of cairns...
On the other side of the pass, it was sunny!
The lakes we encountered were ultra blue...
Cows graze on the lakeside pasture. All cattle is grass-fed in NZ. That might be way all the burgers are super tasty here...
~4:30pm, we arrived at Wanaka, seated on the south end of a massive blue green lake, and visited the DOC. I learned that the huts on the Rees Dart require 3 hut tickets per night, so bought another 16 tickets for our 4 nights. Weather was looking good starting Wednesday, so we planned to start the 5 day trek then, and do a warm up hike tomorrow (Rob Roy valley).
All the backpackers in town were full, so we needed to find alternate lodging options in town, but first decided to visit Puzzle World. The place has rooms of illusion and a maze. We checked out the free attractions, but the place looked similar to Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, so we decided to pass on the admission activities. We took pics outside.
Outside we tried some "forced perspective shots", to varying success...
While walking back to the car, Wendy didn't notice a 1.5" step, and rolled her foot. She hobbled back to the car, and we were unsure as to the extent of the injury. We drove back to town, and found lodging at the Wanaka Hotel (bathrooms included, $80NZ). Wendy was unable to put any pressure on her foot, and I piggy-backed her up to the room (no elevator). I got some ice from the lobby, and Wendy relaxed, icing her foot, while I unloaded the car.
For dinner, I carried Wendy down to the kitchen, where she cut up veggies, and seasoned the salmon (4 different flavors) while sitting at a table. I cooked up mushrooms, yams, and the salmon. Wendy was impressed with my chef skills. :-) The dill, butter, salt, and olive oil seasoning was our favorite. "The Devil Wears Prada" was on the kitchen TV. I cleaned up the dishes, and handed them to Wendy to dry in her chair. When we were finished, I carried Wendy to the car, and we drove to the lake to watch the final rays of sun on the mountain tops.
A look at twilight across Lake Wanaka. Our future plans here were now a big question mark, given Wendy's injury...
We don't know what our future here holds. Might need to get some crutches tomorrow if conditions don't improve. We were about to start the tramping portion of our trip, but may have to find alternatives. I do find it "meant to be" that I somewhat "spur-of-the-moment" felt called to propose to Wendy back on the beautiful beaches of Abel Tasman, instead of waiting for a scenic mountain top (as is my forte). It's been wonderful being engaged these past few days, and simply being together is a joy.
We'll see how things stand tomorrow morning, before planning what's next.