It rained heavily all night. It continued to rain on and off all morning. We packed up the car and began our long drive. Originally we were going to do one of the mountain or lake walks, but decided to just get going.
We stopped at a local gas station. A woman there was complaining loudly about her treatment to the pump attendant. She was pointing out that she was a local and expected to get extra treatment compared to tourists. She stormed away in a huff when the attendant told her that he treats all customers equally.
We had seen a hint of this attitude the day before on the Kepler Track. We passed a girl wearing a t-shirt that read "I am not a tourist. I live here." When we greeted her as we passed her on the trail, she completely ignored us.
We paused briefly to admire a rainbow that plunked right into the lake. However, getting on our way and seeing glaciers was more important than seeking out an elusive pot of gold at the bottom of a large, very cold body of water.
Only just a short way out of town, we saw a hitchhiker by the side of the road. It had started raining again and he only had a tiny backpack (the luggage that most of these travellers carried wouldn't fit in our tiny car!). So we picked him up.
The wet weather at Lake Hawea
Roman was a young guy from the Czech Republic. He had done an amazing amount of travelling and living abroad. He was currently doing a lot of the tracks around New Zealand, going from hut to hut with just the bare minimum.
We brought him a short ways to Makerea. He thanked us heartily then headed to the information center. We hopped in the backseat to have a quick breakfast. A few minutes later, he came back knocking at the window. It was pouring out but fortunately he had an umbrella. Apparently he learned that the river had flooded and the bridge was out, but that he might be able to pick up the trail a few kilometers down the road. So he hopped in, we finished eating, and then continued on our way.
Conveniently his stop was the same place we wanted to visit: the Blue Pools. So we walked together in the pouring rain. Due to the weather, the pools were anything but blue! We wished him luck with his journey and he continued on (he had an 8-hour hike to the first hut) while we wandered around the banks of the rivers for a bit.
Crossing the first swinging bridge
A view over the river toward the second swinging bridge and rocky beach
The second bridge, looking over the fabulous, lovely, beautiful....
... Blue Pools!??
Uh.. I would hardly say these two colors are close!
Hopping down to the rocky beach
The rocks ranged from blues and greens to reds and blacks.
We were going to do a bigger hike at Haast Pass but the rain was quite heavy. So we just did do a few quick walks, starting with Fantail Falls.
Fantail Falls
Water pouring off the trees
This bridge is called... the Gates of Haast (clearly to be said in a large, booming, ominous voice!)
Next came Thunder Creek Falls and Roaring Billy Falls, where we had a bit of lunch in the only dry spot around... the car.
Thunder Creek Falls...
... and the turbulent river it flows into.
The walk to Roaring Billy Falls. Fortunately the trees provided some protection...
... but things were quite drenched here too in spite of them.
About to descend the muddy slippery path to the river's edge
Roaring Billy Falls
As we continued our drive to the coast, waterfalls flooded from the hills.
The rain stopped just as we pulled up to Knights Point, by the sea. Swarms of fantails flitted about... probably chasing the swarms of sandflies! Thoughtfully, the rain waited to start again until after we started driving.
Far below, seals sunned themselves on the sand.
Waterfalls spilled into the sea.
Sculpted rocks
Wow, that looks like one very unhappy little fantail!
Further up the beach, the rock formations continued.
It was still raining heavily when we arrived at the town of Fox Glacier. The info center was closed (for some unknown/unposted reason). Nearby was a weather report for the week... with severe weather alerts. Fortunately it looked like things were going to be clearing up a bit (as in just light occasional showers).
The heavy rain continued and the fog got very thick as we continued on, since there was no point in trying to get a view of Fox glacier today. We pulled into the tiny town of Franz Josef Glacier and checked into the Montrose Backpackers. The girl there was very helpful and gave us map filled with free hiking trails. The one that caught our attention the most was the cave with glow worms! We were determined to see these things at some point! She gave us a flashlight to use and we headed off. It was still raining a bit, but continuing to lighten up.
It was a VERY steep hike up to the Tatare Tunnels, which were driven about 1897 by a sluicing company to bring water from the Tatare River to sluice the gold-laden terraces of the Waiho River. The tunnels were cut through 1,500 feet of solid rock, which took about a year using three work shifts per day. From the tunnels, the water then went through two miles of pipeline, where it was further channelled to various sluicing operations. But in spite of all this effort, the company went out of business in 1908. In the 1930's, the tunnels were again used as part of a power station. In 1982, a severe flood crushed part of the powerhouse and it was decided not to repair the damage.
We entered the tunnel and slowly fumbled our way along. There was icy-cold water running along the bottom, but the rest seemed dry... too dry for glow worms. We went until our feet ran the risk of getting seriously soaked, then headed back. It was dark enough that had there been any glow worms, we would have seen them. But there was not a green speck to be viewed.
The river valley
A very steep trail!
Entering the cave
The water starts to get deeper and deeper
We started back down the hill, disappointed with yet another failed attempt to see glow worms. We were about halfway down the hill when we saw the trail going to Gallery Gorge. Having no idea what this was but still wanting to hike, we decided to give it a try.
The trail started out quite wide, clearly meant for cars. The vegetation was extremely dense and lush. Fantails bounced about teasing us. Once again, the best picture I got was of a fleeting tail. Suddenly Regan shouts out that he just saw a wild goat run across the path ahead of us. We went to see where it disappeared in the bush, but it was long gone by then. We then began to see signs warning of explosives.
Where Regan saw his alleged goat
"Avoid shock"... so telling them things like "you were adopted" should probably be avoided?
We got to where it seemed like the trail ended. There was a tiny outlook over the valley... so was this the "Gallery Gorge"?? I had the map of trails the receptionist had given us and the description said something about a bridge. We found a small trail nearby so decided to seek out the bridge. After a while, we arrived at a long wooden bridge crossing a series of tiny cascades. It was indeed lovely, but hardly worth the signs leading to it. The trail continued on the other side, and so did we.
The path entered a forest so thick that it blocked out most of the light. It was hard to tell if the rain had stopped or it was just no longer reaching the ground!
We then turned a corner and were suddenly facing an amazing swinging bridge over highly turbulent glacial run-off! The sheer volume and speed of the water was amazing in and of itself, but then to add to the fact that it was completely grey made the whole thing feel even more surreal.
The river raced out of the canyon...
... and headed toward the sea.
Why swing from a star when you can swing from a bridge?!
The trail was closed off at the other end of the bridge due to a rockfall, so we popped down and walked along the river's edge for a bit, exploring the numerous fascinating rocks.
Merely shades of grey
The black sand and a white rock
Another things kiwis are fond off... throwing rocks!
Ferns and glacial run-off... not something you see every day.
We headed back through the thick forest. The evening light gave it a mysterious, almost enchanted, feeling.
When we got back to town, we passed a small restaurant that was having its happy hour. So we stopped and enjoyed a couple beers under the view of snow-capped peaks. In the background played "That's why the lady is a tramp"... appropriate to my day filled with tramping.
Snow and a cabbage tree!
Cheers!
When we got back to the hostel, we tried to do some laundry. We loaded up all our stuff, put in the money, and... nothing. We got the manager who explained it was broken and someone was coming to fix it but that he hadn't had time to put a sign on it. So he refunded everything so we could try the other machine (once it had finished with another person's laundry). Long story short... eventually we got things washed but it took quite a long time.
