NZ 2023 Day 8: Wanaka to Franz Josef
DAY 8: 1 DEC 2023
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| Fantail Falls |
We had such a good rest last night.
My quads and calves were surprisingly alright but my hip area was aching due to the hike.
My walking posture is indeed bad and puts a lot of pressure on my hips.
We were driving to Franz Josef today.
The drive had multiple stops but really long in general.
So, we left our cosy apartment and drove towards Haast.
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| Lake Hawea Lookout |
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| Haast Pass Lookout |
The drive towards Haast had many beautiful scenic lookouts.
We also stopped at the blue pools, wanting to try our luck.
However, the bridges were closed and the blue pools were only visible after crossing them.
So we returned to our car and continued our drive.
Our next stop was fantail falls.
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| Fantail Falls |
Our next stop was fantail falls.
For the first time during our road trip, the carpark was full!
We waited a short while before finally getting a lot.
The fantail falls was a short walk from the carpark.
Having been to Milford Sound, the waterfall was a little underwhelming.
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| Our stacked rocks |
Besides the waterfall, there were numerous stacked rocks near the waterfall.
We attempted to stack one too!
Hopefully it is still there and not destroyed.
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| Gates of Haast |
Our next stop was Gates of Haast.
We parked along the roadside and walked down the path towards the bridge.
The river was so clear!
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| Thunder Creek Falls |
Next, we visited the thunder creek falls.
This waterfall is of a larger scale with high volumes of water.
Then, it was time for lunch at the small town, Haast.
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| Fish burger |
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| Beef burger |
Then, it was time for lunch at the small town, Haast.
The town only had one restaurant, The Hard Antler.
Their menu was rather extensive and included white bait options.
Shortly after we arrived, more groups started streaming into the restaurant.
We ordered burgers and chips.
The fish burger was good!
Crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside.
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| Ship Creek |
We continued our drive to Franz Josef after lunch.
We saw a scenic lookout sign for ship creek and we decided to have a look.
There was a boardwalk to explore the woodland and a tower to enjoy the surrounding views from a higher ground.
Both of us were drawn to the beach so we took a brief stroll by the waters.
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| Knights Point Lookout |
We had another quick stop at knights point lookout.
The view here was similar to those I have seen in Australia.
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| Lake Matheson |
Next stop was the famous lake Matheson.
The lake Matheson walk is a loop which consists of three viewpoints:
jetty viewpoint, reflection island and view of views
I originally intended to only do the jetty viewpoint.
But I had no idea what I was thinking and we did the entire loop for slightly over an hour.
The walk was easy and scenic.
Howver, as it was cloudy and windy, we were unable to see the reflections.
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| Fox Glacier |
After lake Matheson, we drove to the Fox glacier lookout.
We were distracted by the cloud of smoke ahead of us and didn't spot the fox glacier.
It was only when we parked that we saw it ahead of us.
I must say the lookout is amazing.
Besides the drive, it was effortless to view the fox glacier.
We also stopped while driving out to get a photo with the glacier closer in the background.
There is a fox glacier south side walk which gets you slightly closer to the glacier.
We didn't attempt the walk as we had another place to go.
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| Franz Josef Glacier |
Franz Josef glacier was our last attraction for the day.
We took the glacier walk which took 15 minutes to arrive at the viewpoint.
As the track was washed away due to a change in river direction, this was the furthest we could go.
The only way to view the glaciers up close is via a helicopter scenic flight.
It is very costly to do so and weather dependent.
I have done a glacier hike in Iceland without the need of a helicopter ride
and my experience was so surreal.
I will definitely do it again if I return to Iceland.
After concluding our last attraction for the day, we drove to our accommodation to check in.
58 on Cron Motel was our stay for the night.
For a studio with spa bath, it costs S$170 a night!
We then headed out to town to get dinner.
We shortlisted Alice May restaurant when planning the trip.
However, the restaurant offered the same type of dishes we have eaten for the past few days and we were bored of them.
While walking along the main street, we chanced upon The Landing Restaurant and Bar which had pasta on their menu!
We haven't had pasta since Lake Tekapo so we dined here instead.
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| Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta |
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| Carbonara |
The restaurant was almost full but we managed to get a table for two immediately.
We ordered two pastas to share and both came with generous portions.
They tasted delicious especially the pesto pasta which was rather unique to us.
The prices were also reasonable!
While having dinner, Zhi Sheng found a place where we could see glowworms for free.
It was situated within the terrace walk which was 5 to 10 minutes away from the restaurant.
The terrace walk gave Zhi Sheng the creeps.
To me, the walk was uninteresting and an utter waste of time.
As a result, shortly after starting the walk, we took our leave and head back to our accommodation.
Since we booked a room with spa bath, we had to utilise it right?
It was easy to prepare the spa bath other than some difficulty in gauging the water temperature.
The jacuzzi helped to relieve some tension in my muscles!
And that marks the end of day 8!
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