Franz Josef

(Mel) Next stop was the little town of Franz Josef, built next to the very impressive Franz Josef glacier. We had a full day walking in the glacier with crampons and pick axes. Another of those 'different planet' experiences as we sepnt a day surrounded by blue ice, exploring crevices and ice caves. You're not allowed to go on the glacier without a guide as it can be unstable/unsafe and in places they have to attach ropes to help you pull yourself up and carve some steps into the ice.

Unfortunately it rained pretty much all day so the views from the glacier weren't as good as they could have been but we still had a brilliant day and didn't mind getting wet. Stayed in a hostel in the rainforest and had a double room after spending the 3 or 4 nights before in dorm rooms. Nice to have a bit of privacy although staying the the dorms has been really good for meeting people.

The Stray driver on this bus is on his last trip as he is changing jobs. We have quite a full bus, with between 15 and 25 people on it at any point and we've had a couple of good nights out with them. Last night we went out in Queenstown around a few bars. We thought we did pretty well getting back to the hostel at 2.30am but the others in our dorm rolled in at 5am and 7am
- still, not bad for the token married couple.