Holiday

Saturday, March 26, 2011

New Zealand (South Island) trip - Part 2

HOKITIKA
Known as the Jade Town, we didn't have much luck with Hokitika on that day as we reached the town around 5pm and almost every shops were shut. The only photo that we took was the public library. The library has greyish Gotham city look. Jade shop is everywhere, some shop offers customized jade design.

Hokitika Public Library

LAKE MATHESON

We were looking for a dinner place around Franz Josef but we were a little early to have dinner in Franz Josef. We then decided to drive to Lake Matheson, around 20 mins from Franz Josef to visit the famous cafe.
  • Matheson Cafe - fantastic food & view from the cafe is absolutely stunning. Definitely worth the drive.
  • Matheson Souvenir shop - across the cafe, sells variety of NZ made products & artworks
Matheson Cafe - a must go cafe !
Chorizo pizza with corn, spanish onion and home made chilli jam
Chicken risotto with green beans and cherry tomatoes
Berry crumble with to die for home made ice cream
Healthy cows, they drink glacier water, roam around the roomy greens near the cafe, stress free & happy cows
Lake Matheson Walk
We bumped into this lost cow on the way to Lake Matheson, it was pretty ginormous I swear

FRANZ JOSEF
If you love adventurous exercise, Franz Josef is your playground, plenty of outdoor activities are available from glacier walk, cycling, bush walk, etc.
  • 58 on Cron Motel - We are very happy with the accommodation, although it is a 'motel', the room is equivalent to a 4 stars service apartment. It is owner operated motel, they are really friendly & helpful, the motel is nestled in a quiet spot & spacious room with basic kitchen facility.
  • Franz Josef Glacier Heli Hike - I was a little worry at the start ... me...couch potato doing glacier hike ?? It must be a joke. We flew by helicopter to access the top of the glacier, and start the hike. The first 1/2 hour was a nightmare to try to walk/ hike in the snows with the heavy snow boots. Oh well, there's always a first time for everything. The view from the top of the glacier is breathtaking, similar to what you watch in National Geographic. The tour was about 3.5-4 hours in total...and I did enjoy every minute of the tour. It was the best adventurous experience ever.
Peter's Pool - mirror reflections
We are going to the top of the mountain soon ..... glacier walk
Heli Hike Tour - getting ready to fly to the top of the mountain & start our glacier walk/ hike
The Hike - about 2 hours & it suits every fitness level (if I passed this hike, anyone can seriously pass with flying colours)
Waiting for the heli to pick us up...starting to get foggy & windy in the afternoon

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