RadioRoryLike photographing pandas in China, New Zealand is one of those places where I should just shut up and show the pictures.
It’s all about the scenery and my presence in pictures ain’t helping.
Mountains, valleys, flowers, rivers, lakes, trees, trees IN lakes, it’s just one breathtaking scene after another.
As I noted in my previous post, ignore the timer on your GPS because you will stop every five minutes to get out of your car and snap even more pictures.
The beaches are raw and wild.
The quickly-eroding Franz Josef Glacier can be seen from afar while you’re standing in what feels lie a dead forest.
And have you ever seen water that color before?!?
Even in summer, snow-capped mountains surround lakes that are as deep as they are blue.
Summertime also brings out the wild fields of lupins in pink, purple, and even more blue.
Think of my driving tour of New Zealand as being in the shape of the letter C. Picton is at the top center and I went west through Nelson down the south island’s west coast. Once I passed a pair of glaciers, I cut inland through mountains. I passed lakes Wanaka and Hawea on my way to Queenstown. Finally, I wrapped up my Kiwi adventure in Christchurch.
Almost a thousand miles when all is said and done and all of it spectacular.
Most of my trip was through small beach towns on the west coast. The more touristy spots near the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers felt a lot like New Hampshire ski towns with tour buses parked along hilly, narrow roadways.
Helicopter tours of the glaciers are available, but the weather, the clothes I packed, and my budget made the excursion impractical. There are free hiking trails throughout the park that will get you pretty close to the glacier, combining ancient forests with safe, modern bridges.