Table of Contents
Franz Josef to Wanaka
Today did not start well. We woke up early – worried about the effect of Cyclone Gita overnight. There was no water in our chalet, so we had to go up to town to buy some. In town, we discovered that the road from Franz Josef to Wanaka had been closed in both North and South directions. So, we were stuck, in a place with no power, no water and no fuel.
It is scary how quickly lack of the basics of life can befall you and you become aware of just how much for granted you take a hot shower, a cup of tea wi-fi and the ability to drive on to the next location etc. The thought of being trapped in Glenfern Villas was not appealing.
The road conditions update data – when we eventually managed to access the internet – said detour N/A (because there IS no other road in and out of here) – Update time TBC. ..
Check out time was 10am, and there were several stern notices that this should be respected. There didn’t seem to be much room for negotiation on the checkout time, so at 10 am, we decided to check out and take our chances.
Fortunately, the bridge at Fox Glacier was back in action by the time we got there and teams had been working hard to clear all the debris from the roads, so we could pass OK. We had 290kms to drive to get to our next stop, Wanaka.
Roaring Billy Falls/Blue Pools - Fifty Shades of Green
We managed a couple of stops on the way to walk to Roaring Billy Falls and Blue Pools. The rain enhanced the greens in the forest and it was beautiful to see the amazing spectrum of greens on the walks.
Overall, we spent the day playing tunes own “dancing in the rain” and were glad to make it safely to Wanaka which looked lovely, even in the mist and rain.
Foodie Firsts
Rocky Road. I remember seeing Nigella Lawson make this on TV once, but I’d never tried it. We ate it as dessert after our picnic and I was impressed. This is something else I am going to have to learn how to cook!
