"Mother of all storms"

So behind with the blogging, so anyone who follows this: be prepared for a massive influx of posts. We've just got reasonable net for the first time in over a week.

First, I should mention Mount Hercules. It's not that big, but the road up it is very windy and absolutely terrifying in the dark. Claire and I had many squeaks going up it on the way from Greymouth to Franz Josef. It wasn't helped by the massive flashes of lightning in the distance.

Sleep that night was interrupted by the mother of all storms. Lightning right outside the room, the loudest thunder I've ever heard and rain which just would not stop. All night. Take note of this - the damn thing turns up again.

Our morning in Franz Josef began with the news that the Haast Pass was closed. This is an issue because we planned to go through the pass to get to Queenstown. The alternative route would take up to 12 hours and involve going over Arthurs Pass. For which there were strong wind warnings of the "gusts upwards of 100kmh" variety. Yeep.

It was also still pissing down. So we headed for the West Coast Wildlife Centre which was fortunately right next to the hostel. It's home to a pair of Rowi, the most endangered species of Kiwi. We named them Tim and Jared and spent far too long watching them snuffling around in their dark enclosure. It was awesome.

Then, a quick call to the guides at Fox Glacier to make sure the trip was still going ahead. Which it was. So we drove down there, trying to ignore the workers at the side of the road clearing up a landslide. Eep. Arriving in Fox Glacier township, we were told that the trip had been changed again because the river was ridiculously high. $20 refund - yay.

The trip itself was amazing, if a bit wet. A lovely walk up to a lookout above the glacier, past the barriers where everyone else has to stop. Spent ages watching the glacier, which was brilliant because it actually broke a few chunks off while we were there. It is the most amazing sound.

After the glacier trip we headed back for another night at Franz Josef, stopping at Franz Josef glacier on the way. Claire and I caught a brief glimpse as we drove up, but the cloud had settled in the valley by the time we got to the car park, so we have no photos. Shame.

And then... more rain and planning for the possible 12 hour detour to avoid the Haast Pass. Oh dear...

"Bitch slapped by nature"

Bahaha, back so soon. Actually Zoe this time.

So, today we got a really early shuttle to the train station and took a stupid selfie. Oh yeah.

Took the Tranz Alpine across the mountains from Christchurch as far as Arthur's Pass. This involved going in a carriage that was open to the elements and resulted in what Claire termed getting bitch slapped by nature. Most awesome, plus some great pics. Amy managed to almost lose another cup of tea due to turbulence. It seems the Kiwis do tea better than us, which is entirely unacceptable.

Getting off the train and onto the bus was an adventure in itself, what with all the wind and flying metal sheeting. In the words of Dion, our conductor person: "Oh shit."

It was missing down in Greymouth when we picked up the car.Amy took first shift - a nice pootle up to Punakaiki. Lots of photos. Much pretties. Then we had massive burgers in a cafe. We also saw a weka (Google it). Then Amy managed to stall an automatic. IMPRESSIVE.

The car is called Ed. Say hi.

Also, pun of the day: "Sedimentary, my dear Watson."

A final note: whoever designed rail crossings in NZ has no idea what they're doing. They go across the middle of roundabouts. With no barriers. Or lights. Just a tiny sign that says look for trains. Really?


Tomorrow - to the glaciers! Woo!

Shawn the Prawn and his delicious little friends...

Our first planning session in months is underway. Well, I say underway. This is Amy and Claire doing useful stuff:

They're looking up useful things like hostels and things to do at the many, many places we're going to visit. This is what I was doing:

Because all of our planning sessions need to be soundtracked by the brilliance that is Howard Shore. And then it all just degenerated into silliness. Beak the Kiwi got a mind of her own (or rather, Claire gave up doing serious bits):

And then I found the most excellent thing ever when trying to find things to do in Taupo while Claire's throwing herself out of a plane. (Have I mentioned about Claire throwing herself out of a plane? I'm going to wait at the bottom and take pictures of her screaming). It is called the Huka Prawn Park. We are amused:

"If learning about a day in the life of Shawn the Prawn doesn't fire your imagination, dine on some of Shawn's delicious little friends in the adjacent riverside restaurant." Gotta love this Rough Guide.

And then we adjourned for lunch. Which lasted about 3 hours. Then the fun of booking began. So far we've managed to get the hostels and most of the activity/additional things booked for the first week. So the first few days look like this:

• 28th July - Arrive at Christchurch. Be jet-lag zombies.
• 29th July - Slob around Christchurch. Continue to be jet-lag zombies.
• 30th July - Catch the TranzAlpine Scenic train from Christchurch across the Southern Alps to Greymouth. Pick up the car, then do some sightseeing - up north to the Pancake Rocks and then south to spend the night at Franz Josef.
• 31st July - Trip to Fox Glacier. It will be epic. And cold, probably. Very, very cold.
• 1st August - Drive down to Queenstown. Spend the afternoon wandering around the town and admiring the cold, cold views.
• 2nd August - Take a day trip down to Milford Sound (not booked yet). Try not to squee at all the pretties.
• 3rd August - Drive east over to Dunedin. There's not a lot there, so it'll be a nice relaxed day.
• 4th August - Drive north up to Kaikoura. Various stops on the way, including the Moeraki Boulders, which are awesome. It's a 6.5 hour drive, so Amy and Claire will no doubt collapse when we get there.

My debit card doesn't know what's hit it and we've only just done the first week! All the excitement.