Thursday, November 22, 2007

Greymouth Public Library, Greymouth, NZ



The other trip I took while in Queenstown was a day trip to Milford Sound. Turns out that Milford Sound isn’t a sound at all, but a fjord. The difference being that a sound is created by… um. What was it? I think glacier wearing a u-shaped path into the ground, whereas a fjord involves water creating a v-shaped path. But don’t quote me on that. Maybe I should look that one up. Mm.

Right. Fjord = glacier.

At any rate, for Milford Sound there are no words, so here, have some pictures (click the photo for almost all of them – I look a LOT of pictures):

IMG_0023.JPG


I took an extra day in Queenstown to relax (also I hadn’t booked a bus ticket, so I was pretty well stuck), and then headed up to Fox Glacier. There are two neighboring glaciers on the west coast – Fox and Franz Josef. Not much of a difference as to which you visit, but Fox is a little smaller.

IMG_0002.JPG


This is Fox Glacier village:

IMG_0399


All of Fox Glacier village. Two dairies, a few cafés/restaurants, and an info center where you can book your preferred glacier climbing experience. One hostel. The hostel – Ivory Towers Lodge – wasn’t too bad. My (small) room had only two bunks, the kitchen was well laid out, there was a nice dog, it was clean, and the guys running it were friendly. As always, though, a hostel can vary enormously depending on the people who are staying there.

IMG_0002.JPG


So. One of my roommates – the woman sleeping on the bunk above me – was lovely. Friendly German woman whom I enjoyed talking to very much. That being said, she not only snored, but talked and laughed in her sleep. And she, um, was not the most fragrantly inclined person I’ve ever met. If you follow. Also on the first night one of my other roommates decided to leave the window way open, and since I couldn’t figure out how to turn the heater on (at 1:30am), I froze.

There was also some graffiti on the underside of the bunk above me about how menstruation was a virus and turns women into bitches and/or lesbians, or some such thing. There are quality people the world over, I tell you what.

Oh, and two of my beers were stolen. That was good, too.

But still! A fine time. No, seriously.

IMG_0008.JPG


I decided on the half-day glacier walk since I’d been pretty tired. Other options were a full-day walk and a helicopter hike thing. The helicopter would’ve been the best (and coolest – I’ve never been in a helicopter), but it also cost a small fortune (upwards of $275).

IMG_0006.JPG


They gear you up with thick wooly socks (washed once a week, they said! Thanks, guys!) and boots, and offer packs and windproof jackets if you need them. Considering my penchant for being piteously underdressed, I grabbed an extra jacket, thereby ensuring that it was warm and sunny the whole afternoon. Never mind that when I was wearing it I looked like a giant black sausage (ew), and when I took both my jackets off and tied them around my waist I added a good 6” to either side of my hips. Which is very appealing these days.

IMG_0033.JPG


AND they have you tuck your trousers into your socks so they don’t get wet. That’s hot.

IMG_0019.JPG

IMG_0012.JPG

IMG_0016.JPG

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Yay! You're still alive! I'm loving all the pictures and living vicariously through you. That sucks about your beer getting stolen. I think that's a biblical commandment: "Thou shalt not steal another person's beer."

Anonymous said...

Uh, Em, that last comment was from me.

Janice in GA said...

Mmmm, fjords...

Did they comment that the glaciers are retreating there like they are most everywhere else?

Le@nne said...

I am planning a trip to NZ in 2009. I loved reading your blog - and the stories are great!!

ipskhurana said...

hey emily,

this really nice and useful bolg for me...
as i am travelling to NZ in Nov 2011..all set..
will start from Christchurch...

all the info with details and pics in the blog is very useful for me..

i mainly want to visit fox glacier.

thanks dear

IPS Khurana
Bomabay, India

kindly add on fb or google+

Visitor Count (hi!)