Having seen the Franz Josef glacier yesterday, there wasn't much else to do for another day, so I took a daytrip to nearby Fox Glacier. As I wrote yesterday, it was a free trip as I used up the last remaining time on my bus pass, which otherwise would have been wasted. Sorry to go on about it, but who doesn't love a freebie?!
According to the i-SITE office in Franz, there would be no transfers available from the township to the glacier or to Lake Matheson, so I was prepared to rent a bike for the 6 km ride to either sight. Realistically, I would probably only have had time to visit Lake Matheson had I been assigned to pedal power. But I was pleasantly surprised on arrival to find a sign advertising a shuttle to both places for $12 return. I called the operator, Murray, who picked me up within 15 minutes and dropped me and two other visitors off at Lake Matheson. This is supposedly the most photographed lake in NZ, as its waters are dark and usually very still, so you can see the reflection of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman on its surface. And today was a clear day with no wind so I was not disappointed!
After I'd walked around the lake, Murray picked us up and dropped the other people off in town, whilst I continued to the glacier. It was another hike much like the one to Franz Josef glacier, and I had really had enough of walking for a lifetime by the time I got back to the car park. I feel like I have walked as far as I have flown on this trip! I really should have bought a pedometer, would have been interesting to keep record of how much distance I have covered on foot. Certainly a lot more than I ever expected!
Not only am I now completely drained, all this walking for miles and miles and miles on rocky, uneven paths (with steep inclines!) has ripped a huge gash in my right shoe, so I now desperately need to buy a new pair. There are no shoe stores here in Glacier country, so I'll have to wait until I reach Queenstown tomorrow.
Accommodation in Queenstown is VERY expensive. I am paying through the nose for the four nights I will be there. Murray told me that everything is expensive in Queenstown, just because it's such a popular destination, so I'm bracing myself for the worst.
Today I noticed that the sun appears to move from right to left here in the southern hemisphere. When I remember, I will also check if the water swirls anti-clockwise when you flush the toilet...
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