Franz Josef – Ice Queen
It was really sad to say goodbye to Sheila (even knowing I’d be back later on in my travels), but I was also excited. I would be leaving Christchurch on the Tranzalpine train, which goes from Christchurch in the east to Greymouth in the west, via the mountains that run down the middle of the South Island. I’d heard so much about this train journey, mainly from Mum, who’d completed it on her visit to New Zealand early last year, and who’d told me many stories about how her, Sheila, and Phil had, by all accounts, disgraced themselves by giggling like children all the way there. Shocking behaviour. Andy had also done the journey when he was in NZ and again, had told me how great it was. I was really looking forward to it.
It didn’t disappoint in the slightest. For very good reason is it classed as one of the top rail journeys in the world. The scenery is just spectacular, no other word for it. To pass by so close to beautiful, snow-capped mountains, and over incredible viaducts, well, is just wonderful. And best of all, they serve muffins!
I’d been told about the muffins in advance – a lovely lady at one of the stations bakes them, so they get them fresh and warm every day. As soon as the announcement came over the tannoy I was off, elbowing old dears out of the way (don’t look at me like that, as if YOU wouldn’t do the same), and soon settled back into my seat eating my delicious orange and choc chip delight. Mmmm. Much of the rest of the time I spent either getting blown to bits on the observation carriage (open to the elements, I was glad I’d brought my wooly hat!), or sitting and happily daydreaming from my seat, watching the world go by. Real Middle Earth stuff.
It takes a few hours to get to Greymouth, but I didn’t hang about there, and instead booked myself on the next bus to Franz Josef. There are many glaciers in New Zealand, but Franz Josef and its neighbour, Fox, are the two most accessible. I’d heard and read about the glacier climbs, and was planning to go on one the next day, but first I had to survive the bus journey. Not only was I getting very, very travel sick on the twisting New Zealand roads, but I’d also been inexplicably tagged-on-to by the coach doofus, I’ll call him Geoff from Brisbane (because that’s his name and where he was from). He spent most of the journey telling me stories of how he’d been mean to other people, and only when I threatened to throw up on him did he shut up. Unfortunately, he’d overheard me tell the driver I hadn’t booked anywhere to stay that night in FJ, and so he persuaded me to stay at Rainforest hostel, rather than the YHA as I’d initially planned (note to self: must learn to say “no”). The hostel was fine, but it wasn’t as good as the YHA, which even had a sauna (I ended up transferring there a couple of days later). The wonderful staff there put me in the same dorm as Geoff, so I had a fun couple of nights with him farting every five minutes and not even attempting to hold it OR disguise it, he just kept saying “pardon me”. I even ended up on the same glacier climb as him.
We had to set off early for the glacier climb, and be at the HQ for about 8am. Looking gloomily out of the window, I noticed that the incessant heavy rain showed no sign whatsoever of stopping. Once there, we were fully kitted out with waterproofs, boots, spikes for the boots, hat and gloves. The gear was quite heavy, and quite hardcore. I started to be a bit concerned about what the day would hold.
We drove the short distance to the glacier car park, then walked for about an hour before we got to the glacier itself. By this time, the rain was really coming down, and before too long, the waterproofs gave way, and we were literally soaked to the skin. We’d been advised to wear three layers – I was wearing four – and every single one of them was sopping wet through. Not only does this add to the weight of all the equipment you’re wearing, it also makes things uncomfortable and, to say the least, cold. Ideal for climbing a glacier, eh?
It’s really tough to get the hang of walking on the ice. You’ve got to dig your toes in hard so that your boots can grip it, otherwise you slip all over the place. The first hour or so we were walking on marked paths, often with a rope to either guide us (or stop us falling down deep crevaces, in which we would surely die), but after that, we went off-path, with our guide choosing where to take us.
I have to admit, I should have done more homework on the subject. When I thought of a glacier walk, I had a mental image of Sir Ranulph Fiennes trekking across the ice, led by a team of Huskies. Yes, I’m THAT stupid. Instead, it was sliding through skinny gaps between ice walls, using a pick to pull yourself through, convincing yourself you won’t make it, stepping on a loose bit of ice that gives way and plunges your foot into a puddle. Am I selling it enough? Truth be told, it wasn’t the greatest day of my life. Yes, the scenery was, admittedly, spectacular:
but I spent the whole day shivering, soaking wet, pretty miserable, and glancing at my watch every 10 minutes. Going off-track meant waiting around a lot of the time for our guide to carve his way through the ice to give us a way through, which exacerbated the coldness. I was one happy bunny to get off the glacier, I can tell you. Maybe it’s for some people, but definitely not for me. Still, I’ve done it, and it’s one to cross off the list, for sure.
I had another couple of days in Franz Josef, which I started to enjoy a lot more after a scalding hot shower. Geoff left the next day (yay!), so I mooched around town, transferred to the lovely YHA, and generally enjoyed the small town. My next stop would be Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand, so it was important to me to enjoy the peace and quiet while I could. Little did I know that the weather would continue to work against me.
Tags: New Zealand, Travel
Suzanne
Now I am jealous because I really regret not doing a glacier climb. We tried to book a helicopter flight over the glaciers but the weather wasn’t suitable. I guess this is a good reason for me to return to NZ.
Miss you lots
Mum
Hi Suzie: Couldn’t see myself doing the
glacier climb (or the ride in the helicopter)
don’t know where your mum gets her sense of adventure from – it certainly didn’t come my way – but hey ho we can’t all be the same
and I’m happy the way I am!!
Much love and blessings Auntie Rosemary x
Hello Suzanne,
Glad to see you enjoyed the Glacier Climb. Sorry if my wind disturbed your stay in our dorm.
I’ll enjoy following the rest of your trip via your blog.
Geoff