Queenstown to Franz Josef

We waited around today for Jen and Bobby’s skydive but the wind picked up and it was cancelled, to be fair it was blowing old boots on the lake but still a disappointment.

Mid-afternoon we set o ff to Franz Joseph – after fixing a puncture in the hire car.  The hire car is a story in itself. We looked at getting a camper van but with staying with Jen for a few days and the high cost of campervans in the first place we decided it was a better bet to hire a car and then use hostels and YHA across NZ.  With a bit of net work I found a really cheap car hire company – 123 hirers, the description was “well-loved cars with a few miles on the clock and a little older than normal”.  We picked up our Nissan Sunny Super saloon and it was actually better looking than I was expecting.  Still had 130,000 on the clock and I guess came from the mid 90’s, probably best described as a jalopy but it went and stopped, not too good on the corners mind you but hey it was cheap.  Part of the cheap deal was that I paid for any punctures.  Pity the puncture happened in the back of beyond with 2 public holidays and only a space saver spare tyre.  £60 call out fee later the tyre was sorted and off we went to Franz Josef. (Still quids in with the car hire despite the puncture costs - it was that cheap!) Starting to like the car reminds me of the cars we had when we were 20.

The route took us along the central South Island Alps and they are just like European alps but with less people.  The lakes are much bigger, not as big as the lake at Queenstown but they still dwarf ours.

The late start meant a late arrival at Franz Josef but the hostel is good. Right in the centre of the township.  Not that that says a lot as the place is pretty small and has grown around the tourism industry that the local Fox and Franz Joseph glaciers have generated.

Bob and Jan's tenner having a cup of tea with Caroles new sunglasses