Franz Josef Glacier

NZ time... Thursday 19th January... 9pm

Apologies for so many pictures in this posting, but it was awesome.

FANTASTIC day! Checked in at 9am for our glacier walk. After being kitted out with jacket, trousers, boots, crampons, socks, hat and gloves we were bussed to the glacier valley. Then a mile walk to the glacier edge, where we put our crampons on.

There were 5 guides and 55 walkers, so 11 per group which was just right (we were by far the oldest, maybe 1 or 2 being in their thirties and rest being fit young under 25s!). We opted for 3rd group and we more than held our own.

We climbed up the glacier over a variety of terrain, crossing gullies, squeezing through crevasses, ascending/descending steep ice walls, through blue ice caves and even sometimes on the flat!

We reached our highest point about 2pm and soon thereafter we began our descent. It wasn't that easy either as there were still difficult situations to negotiate and we were both getting weary as time went on.

The weather was grey with an occasional shower until about 3pm, then it rained heavily for the rest of our descent! Glad to finally get back to the B&B to dry out.

Part of the glacier deal was free entry to the local Hot Pools, which we went to before dinner. Three pools at temperatures of 36, 38 and 40...heaven!

Had dinner at Speight's Landing again, good food plus 2 "savs" and 2 Speight's Old Darks!

Now chilling at B&B, feeling pleased with our achievement today and enjoying the house Port!