Kumara to Fox Glacier

 Considering my cold (now just a series of minor coughing spasms and a colorful discharge from the nasal passages) and that I was also drying my clothes, I was willing to take a slower morning - honey toast and chats with Maria before departing around 9:30am.

Hokitika was my first stop of the day and not only did I find postcards and stamps, but at the glass blowing place, I found me-to-me gifts. Yippee! Check out this gorgeous glass little blue penguin family that I'll be using to manifest a real Little Blue penguin sighting down near Dunedin next week!

I refueled VanGogh. Apparently it's harder to come by once I leave here. 

Many a stop later (including at a river where I ran into a French woman last seen on a swing bring yesterday morning!) I entered Franz Josef Glacier parking lot. It had changed since 1993. Polished, organized and parking @ $5/hr. 

The glacier itself has receded back up the valley a LOT since just 2010. It peaked out from under a cloudy veil, lit by sun and now photographed via 300mm lens. Still gorgeous - just failing to thrive. It's glacial waters - turned braided river - was tinged blue. Clean, clear and I'd imagine, cold.

A 2 hour conversation with Scott still turned out to be the highlight of this day as I parked along the river. My backdrop was akin to an old timey oil painting. I took pictures of course!

At 5:30pm I headed for Fox Glacier. The road was steep and winding, enveloped in native forest. 

Kiwi signs were a surprise but it wasn't a surprise that I didn't actually see a kiwi. 

Tonight was parked at a trailhead, tucked into the woods, enjoying salad and wine as a light drizzle fell and a tui vocalized outside my window. It's good to be here!

Nelson to Greymouth-ish

 I had a quick breakfast at the hotel and then left the parents to hit the road solo. It was pouring rain but forecast to clear up a little further down the west coast and that suited me just fine. Damp is NOT my personal happy place!

Through the Buller Gorge I went, stopping at Murchison for cafe food. A traditional meat pie with a contemporary twist - lamb and mint - and a custard slice to reminisce my childhood. (I can leave that one there now I think. It has lost some culinary delight for me... Is that the swollen lymph glands talking or just the maturing of my tastes?!)

At the Murchison Museum I went looking for local earthquake history. Today it was hosting an 80th birthday brunch for the founder/head of the place and I felt like I was stuck somewhere between being a party-crasher and a browser at the local antique store.  Strange little place, filled with fascinating firsthand recollections of events. More emotional than factual representations. I was gifted chocolates from the "party" that was in full swing there. Perhaps compensation for not being able to get super close to some of the exhibits? 

Pushing on, I chatted with Scott, parked at the entrance of a farm then exited the Buller Gorge toward Punakaiki.

The rain restarted briefly then cleared around 5pm just like my weather app had predicted, just in time for a 90 minute break at the Pancake Rocks. Fascinating!

The coast is ruggedly beautiful and I felt incredibly peaceful driving as the sun dipped lower.

Sometime before Greymouth, I stopped at an overlook and called it a night. The wind was howling, rocking my little van back and forth. But the light was phenomenal and I spent considerable time with my lens pointed to water droplets on flowers or out to sea at dusk. There was nowhere I'd rather sleep tonight.

The Mail Boat

 We met at the campground for an 8am breakfast ... in traditional fashion. I'd already been out and about of course.

At our Mail Boat by 9:30am we boarded with a sack lunch. 

Departure was right on time at 10am and we were supposedly going to be back by 3:30pm. Return obviously depends on the route and deliveries of the day but on top of those variables, we also detoured to pick up an old lady tour then backtracked for a guy who had left his wallet at someone's house.

The mail boat is an interesting experience. I'm not sure you'd ever get to see the daily life and different bays of the Queen Charlotte Sound et al any other way, but it's a long day too. The wind was a bit chilly and the sun is ever present if you sit on top deck. I found myself enjoying the back of the boat with a few of those old ladies, watching the waves and the view disappearing behind us. It was warmer but pretty darn noisy that close to the engine.

I was super grateful for the never-ending coffee on the boat and would have tried my hand at the wine if a drive wasn't in my future!

Back on dry land at 5pm, I called Scott (perfect for relaxing and rebalancing) then followed the folks to Nelson, where they had a hotel booked for the night. I was fighting something - pain was taking hold of my throat, ears and head. It was nice to gobble down some Indian food and sleep in my little van as the rain fell... a lot.