Franz Josef Helihike

There's only one major thing on our agenda today: Helihiking the Franz Josef Glacier. Since booking this, I've been looking forward to this for quite some time. Not only is the idea of hiking the glacier appealing, but taking a helicopter up there really does it! I've never ridden in a helicopter, so this will be the first time.  Franz Josef Helihike After packing everything into our rental...

Drive to Franz Josef

Today would be a long travel day as our intention is to drive from Te Anau to Franz Josef Glacier. The drive is a little under 7 hours and the plan is to make stops along the way to stretch our legs and take in the sites where possible. Arrow Junction After some breakfast we set off for the 2 hour drive back to Frankton which is right outside of Queenstown. We stopped here for some coffee and to...

“Tragedy” at Milford Sound :)

Milford Sound Today Gimpy and I are heading to Milford Sound as it is considered a must see part of New Zealand! We originally planned to drive ourselves up to Milford since the drive is suppose to be as beautiful if not more beautiful than the sound itself. Unfortunately, heavy rains in the area meant a highway closure for us. The repairs only allow for tour buses to go up in specific convoys....

From Queenstown to Te Anau

Arrow Town Initially, our plan was to spend the morning exploring Queenstown before driving onward to Te Anau. However after walking through the town last night, both Gimpy and I felt that if you're not in it for the adventure activities there isn't much for us to see. So we started looking at areas near Queenstown to check out and one that came up was Arrow Town. Its a small town that is 15...

The “Drive” to Queenstown

Driving to Queenstown We didn't have much of a schedule today. The plan was to drive straight to Queenstown to maximize the time we had to explore it. And so after packing up, we were back on the road and made some small stops to get coffee at the Pink Glider Cafe.  At one point we also made it a point to stop at a viewpoint to get a few photos at Lindis Pass.   Misha's Vineyard Although...

Mount Cook and the Hooker Valley Track

Driving to Mount Cook  The only thing on the plan today is to head to Mount Cook and walk the Hooker Valley Track. So after a light breakfast, Gimpy and I set off for the beautiful drive to Mount Cook. The highway  follows along the shore of Lake Pukaki. From yesterday we know that the Lake is beautiful and driving along this side of it further reinforces that notion. Both Gimpy and I make it...