Franz Josef Glacier

After Hokitika Jasson and I drove down to a town that revolves entirely around the nearby Franz Josef Glacier and the accompanying tourism opportunities. So much so that the town is simply named "Franz Josef Glacier." There's not much there except a dozen hotels and hostels, a few restaurants, a gift shop and tour companies.

Sarah, our new friend from the hostel at Hokitika, happened to be staying in Franz Josef too so she came along for the ride, and together we hiked to the edge of the glacier.

The day was very, very hot - perhaps the hottest we had encountered in New Zealand so far. And the hike went straight through the middle of a rocky valley - the path the glacier had left behind years ago.

We felt like we were being toasted in a toaster oven. I started fantasizing about how I would open up a seasonal ice cream shop along the path called "Glacier Ice." The signature flavor would be "Meltwater Mint." I'm still working on the additional flavors. There would be air conditioned seating and a shady patio. I would make so much money.

This is as close as we were allowed to get to the glacier:

Yep. That's it. Chur bro.

The only way to actually get on the glacier itself is to pay a few hundred dollars for a helicopter ride and guided tour. Otherwise, you're stuck looking at it from yards away.

There were other hikes in the area that we wanted to walk on, but being fried under the New Zealand sun for over an hour had dried up all our energy juices. We went back to our hostel and Jasson and I took a nap.

Our hostel was a very large one with a huge kitchen. People from all over the world were staying there. Jasson and I were in a 5-bed room, and one of our roommates kept snoring all. Night. Long. It was this kind of choke-snore where it would slowly get louder, louder, LOUDER until he choked and coughed. Then he would be quiet for a few moments until he began again. Snore, snore, snore, SNORE, SNORE CHOKE COUGH COUGH COUGH. I tried to sleep for several hours until I finally took my pillow and blankets downstairs into the tv room. I slept on a surprisingly comfy couch, basking in the blessed, blessed silence.

The next day Jasson and I upgraded to a private room. Totally worth the extra $20.

In the morning we drove out to the Whataroa River, where we did more whitewater rafting. First we got a short ride in a helicopter, which took us up river.

We suited up, inflated the raft and went through the usual safety drill.

Our guide reminded me of a blonde Jack Sparrow with a very strong kiwi accent. He didn't bother to learn our names; the men were just "bro" and he kept calling me "love."

There was an Irishman and some other Kiwis on our trip, as well as a guy who claimed to be descended from Maori royalty. We set off on our class 3-4 rapids.

At one point Jack Sparrow told us to "take a dip of the river, ay." I thought that he meant to jump in and swim, but to my surprise he scooped up a handful of river water in his hand and drank it.

"Is that safe?" I asked.

"Of course love! This is New Zealand, not California!" he said. So I scooped up some water and drank it, and behold: it tasted like the purest, freshest water I've ever had. And I did not get sick. Captain Sparrow had us sample a few other areas of the river, which he claimed had different flavors.

It was a beautiful ride.

Hokitika Gorge and Toasted Marshmellows

Yes, the water really is that color. I didn't Photoshop this at all.

Jasson and I arrived in a small beach town called Hokitika. When we checked into our hostel we met our roommates, two lovely girls from the UK. We hit it off with them pretty quickly, and decided that the next day we would all drive up to Hokitika Gorge together.

Jasson and I had been hoping to go swimming, but we discovered that the water was icy, icy cold. I dipped my feet into the water for a few minutes, and instead of adjusting to the temperature they just started to ache - like the feeling you get when you put your hand in a cooler full of ice water, reaching for the last can of soda at the bottom.

"It's too cold for swimming," I said, which Jasson seemed to take as a personal challenge. He changed into his swimsuit and plunged into the water.

(Note to self: in the future, use the phrases "There's no way you can vacuum the living room! It's impossible! No one can!")

When he emerged his breathing was wheezing and labored. "It's so cold!" he declared.

He didn't stay in the water long. I can't believe he went in at all.

Back in Hokitika, Jasson had the idea to ask our hostel manager if we could use her BBQ for hamburgers. She suggested that everyone could pitch in a few bucks for a group dinner. We thought that was a great idea, and our roommates were really excited too. We bought hamburgers, corn and salad, and a girl from Germany offered to make couscous.

All in all, eight people joined in, and a great feast was had.

In the evening we started a bonfire on the beach and toasted marshmellows!!!!

"This is definitely one of my top 10 New Zealand experiences," Sarah said, and I agreed. Just look at my face.

Not just because of the toasted marshmellows, although they were amazing, but because of the good company. A few residents at the hostel came to enjoy the bonfire, and we talked about travel until late at night.

Abel Tasman Park

Oh, what's that? It's winter where you live? Boy, that sure sucks for you!

Let me tell you about my trip to a beautiful beach - that should chase away the winter blues. Or possibly make them worse.

I've been looking forward to Abel Tasman Park ever since I saw a photo in a travel guide. It was of kayakers floating in crystal blue waters, with slashes of golden sand behind them. It looked like paradise - but I wondered if the park would really be as good as the photos.

It was.

Abel Tasman park is a long strip of mountains and beaches. It takes three days to hike across the whole thing. Jasson and I took a water taxi to the center of the park, which dropped us off at Bark Bay.

We marveled at the vivid turquoise blue and green of the waters and the golden glowing sand, which was soft and fine.

Jasson and I began our hike back towards the front of the park. We had a long hike ahead of us - an estimated seven hours. Yes, we paid a boat to take us fifteen miles away from our car. Why? I don't know.

After only half an hour of hiking, I spotted a picturesque beach through the trees that I absolutely had to check out. We made our way down to it.

We had the beach to ourselves while we ate lunch and went for a quick dip in the water. Then we got back on the path again, which went up and down the sides of the hills.

A seven-hour hike was overly ambitious, at least for me. We didn't quite pack enough food, and we got a late start so we didn't even finish until 6:30 in the evening. I was a pathetic, whimpering mess by the end. (Jasson, however, got up at 6 am the next morning and went on a 27-mile bike ride.)

To give you an idea of how far it was - this photo was taken at the halfway point of our hike. We started at the red arrow in the distance.

We passed many sparkling beaches along the way - some crowded with people, others totally empty. Despite my exhaustion I couldn't stop taking photos. I think Abel Tasman Park is the most beautiful place I've ever seen.

Well it's late and my laptop battery is dying, so I'll end this post here. I have lots more photos of unnatural shades of blue water to assault your eyes with, and I'll post them soon!

Wellington

For the past two weeks Jasson and I have been chilling in the capital of New Zealand, Wellington. It's a pretty cool place. With a population of just 200,000, it feels like a small big city. There are cute, trendy cafes around every corner! Jasson and I have also been lucky enough to meet a few internet acquaintances while we're here.

Our Airbnb house is actually in a suburb outside of Wellington, about a 20 minute drive or 45 minute bike ride along the beautiful (but windy!) coastline. Rumor has it that Peter Jackson lives not too far away!

Our house is tucked at the bottom of the hill in the distance. The house is...well, it's a little ghetto. I'm pretty sure the owners built it themselves, so there are some quirks to it, like a toilet underneath the stairs, or a sheet pinned to the hide the unfinished ceiling. There are rectangular windows, square windows, triangular windows and circular windows. There are also a lot of spiders in here - in fact one morning Jasson poured his coffee into his mug only to realize that he had just melted a spider web.

That spider is going to be so hyper!