Franz Josef Feb 7th

Our first impressions of Franz Josef felt like we were in Banff, Alberta. However, after spending time there we realized it is quite different in that it is at the foot of the Franz Josef Glacier which is named after the Austrian Emperor for reasons we don't know and will have to find out. There is a Kiwi reserve in the town the only one of it kind in NZ that is protecting the rare "Rowi" Kiwi only found in the South Island. We visited the reserve and saw two of these beautiful birds. At 2pm we met our guide Sam who took us on a personalized 7km hike up to the glacier. There was a lot of cloud cover that in a way added to the experience. He first took us through the rain forest on a trail not used by tourists. Later he told us he was testing our ability in order to take us as close as possible to the glacier. The hike was tricky due to the fact we were walking on glacier rocks beside the glacier river. In January there was a huge flood that changed the course of the river thus the normal trails were washed away. As we got closer to the glacier it began to get cold but not unbearable it was only minus 1c. At the end of the regular tourist trail Sam decided to take us further in an area that was totally washed away in January to see a huge hole caused by this flood. He was constantly watching for rock falling we felt very safe with him. Finally there we were at the foot of the Glacier it was awesome and we were only seeing a portion of it. The amount of information he gave us was great. We did not take the helicopter ride over the glacier we choose the hike instead and were glad another great experience to add to our trip. Later back in our apartment I had a wonderful whirl pool bath much needed for my poor body. At the rate we are going with all this hiking I could be doing the Camino with Kevin LOL. One more day in NZ then on to Sydney. Mary Rose