Yes.....I have been putting off writing up our vacation story as I find it tiresome uploading the photos....aren't I just a bundle of joy? :) BUT....I've also been really flat-out since we got back and today is the first real day I've had to sit down and spend some time.
So here goes.....
We left bright and early Friday morning, as we had to be at Christchurch Train Station by 7:30am (yaaawwwn!). The train was quite well set out really, as it had a cafe car and an open viewing platform we you could go out and have the wind blowing through your hair and smell the train diesel! This turned out to be especially good for little Amelie, as 5 hours in one area can be a tiresome for a little body!! We saw some really amazing scenery on the train trip and it makes me feel really glad that we have experienced that sort of travel through the mountains.
We arrived at Greymouth some time after lunch and then picked up our hire car, ready for the 2.5 hour journey to Franz Josef Glacier. Luckily, Amelie was due for a sleep at that time, so we got about 45 minutes to ourselves! :) The drive down the West coast was simply stunning. I have never seen mountains and countryside like that before and I found myself sitting in the front of the car with my mouth open for most of the trip. It has such a wild and untamed feel to it, and you really feel like you are breaking-new-ground or on a trek through the wilderness. As we drove into the Franz Josef village we spied the glacier running down the mountain and again I was agape with wonder. It was at that time that I honestly felt for the first time truly lucky to be given the chance to be living over here and lucky for having the opportunity to experience this!
We were all a little tired when we got to our accommodation, so we set about organising food (and WINE!!) for the evening and then had the compulsory visit to the local playground for some toddler-fun!
We woke first thing in the morning (with a slightly fuzzy head!) and left for the Fox Glacier. It is only a half hour drive between the 2 glaciers and the drive between the 2 glaciers is amazingly picturesque.
We arrived at Fox Glacier and decided to do the one hour trek, so we set Amelie up in the baby carrier and off we went. Unfortunately, Amelie's terrible mother (me) didn't put warm enough pants on her and so she was quite upset with me for the entire walk....oops! Nonetheless, it was a spectacular sight and we have decided that we are going to come back and do one of the ice-hikes one day!
So back to the car and the suitcases to dress the little girl in something warmer....bad mummy!
We then drove back to Franz Josef Glacier and decided that Dan should do the 90 minute hike and I would do the 20 minute and a 30 minute hike with Amelie (the easy ones). The 20 minute hike was one of those ones designed for old people and children, and I decided to let Amelie walk most of it herself. The end result of this hike was a seat looking out over a pristine lake and looking straight at the Franz Josef Glacier....WOW! Pretty bloody good for a pensioners walk!!!
We then did the 30 minute walk which took us up a lot of hills and left us about 200 metres from the face of the glacier....again.....WOW!
After a big morning, we had some lunch and then left for Greymouth. We stopped at Hokitika on the way. This town has a wild yet eclectic feel to it, the beach has huge tree trunks and stones all over the beach and the town has a really artsy feel to it. We could have spent a couple of days there, but time didn't allow it!
We arrived at our Greymouth accommodation and were again pretty knackered after such a big day, so we headed straight to the park for some toddler-fun again! We went to the local pub for dinner after that and had a fairly decent meal and way too much to drink (AGAIN...oops!).
The next day we woke up to fuzzy heads and rain, so we packed everything up and headed up to Pancake Rocks. It was only a 40 minute drive, but again totally breathtaking and pretty much resulting in Dan and I talking about buying a shack over there at some point (HAHAHA!). We arrived at Pancake Rocks and it was still raining, so we got out the trusty umbrella and did the half hour walk in the rain to see the pancake looking rocks and the blowholes. Again, we really need to go back and stay overnight and see it all in more detail!
After that it was time to head back to Greymouth and get on the train to head home......
It was such a whirlwind few days and was so thoroughly enjoyable. I have really found a great love for this country now and am so very glad to be living here (although I'm still an AUSSIE girl!!!)
The week since we have been home has been absolute madness....Monday I had a friend and her children over to 'play', then Monday night is Trivia night! I have only just started going and I love it!! It's my little night out and a chance for me to try and use this rusty old brain that I have! Tuesday was busy too, as I had another 2 mother's and their children over and then I went to see the "Joy Division" movie with another friend that night. Movie was quite good really, even for someone who didn't know much about the band....it was a really interesting look at life during that time also. Wednesday was a chore-filled day, trying to catch up on life-stuff and now today we started back at Music classes again!!!!
Busy busy busy - but great! :)
Hope all are doing well!
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