My trip to the Antipodes

OK! Left Queenstown about 3 pm to drive as far up the west coast as we could before dark. Managed to get to Fox Glacier before 9. Blooming long way but still a long way to go to get up top Able Tasman. On the way picked up charming young lady, Meg (Megan) who was hoping to get a couple of hours further up the coast. We dropped her in Fox Glacier village and set off to get some sunset photos of Mount Cook. Later met her again in the pub and she bought me a pint. She had just finished "Guiding"on the Routeburn Track and about to join up with her brother who is a White Water and Kayak guide. Quite an outdoor family. Home is Tasmania and she told of the similarities of the two places. Said that I MUST fit in Tasmania sometime...  The next morning set off early to see Fox Glacier itself. Met a friend, Paul,  from the Doubtful Sound trip just coming down! When we left there was Meg thumbing her way up to meet her brov. Back on board.

Made it to Able Tasman about 8 pm. A 10 hour drive but with a"stop for lunch of pancakes at "Pancake Rocks. Thanks to most motels already being full we searched around the backstreets and found a real gem. Again, a full suite of 2 bedrooms, large bathroom and lounge. All for 120 dollars and much better value than the motels. Our plans for the following day were to go to arrange a water taxi for 12:30, book campsites for the two nights and try to book kayaks for the final leg... oh and buy a second tent for Anke. Gayle and Robin, our kind hosts thought that our plans were optimistic and that Gayle would organise everything for us instead. Bear in mind, 8:30 pm and within 15 minutes she had booked kayaks for 8 am, campsite passes, tent and return water taxi. It is typical of both the Kiwi attitude and their keeness to help combined with what must be LUCK.

So 8 am reported to the kayak office 2 mins away. They were ready for us and we joined up with 6 others, 4 Dutch and 2 Israelis and or guide Luke. Great 3 days. Kayaked for about 4 hours up to our first camp. Walked about 7 hours the next and a final couple of hours on the final day took us to Taraniki where our water taxi ferried us back to the start.

Great scenery and good campsites but rabid sandflies and at the last camp mossies! Constantly pouring on the repellant but they ware always looking for gaps!

Enjoyed a good lunch and said farewell to Anke. She had been a very good companion for an old fart who kept forgetting where the "safe place"was that he'd put things in! We received the odd look now and again but enjoyed being ""Granded and ""Adopted Daughter. Anke is hoping to fill in time waiting for her two friends to join her by fruit picking.  She left Germany as soon as she had finished her exams. She doesn't know her results yet but I think that she is quite confident. I wish her every success.

Should be some good photos so here goes..

I shall have to fill in Doubtful Sound photos another session. They are on another card.

Hope that things are getting better in UK. Last e mail from Sarah told of Grantham being at a standstill thanks to yet more snow. brrrrrr..

Am now at Blenheim, about 4 hours to Christchurch and another couple of hours to Akaroa before 5 pm tomorrow. I may get time for a whale watch session. Weather forecast looks good.

bfn    Grandad.