Left Queenstown and drove through very curvy, narrow roads with many one lane bridges. Craig continues to drive us safely through the mountains. We had a 5 hour drive which took us almost 10 hours due to lots of scenic stops, waterfalls, and one hike/tramp which took over an hour.
We stopped in Wanaka to meet and have coffee with our loyal, knowledgeable, lovable tour assistant, Christina. She works for Pure Journeys and we have been communicating with her for 3 years. It was so nice to have the consistency of someone so patient and optimistic during these crazy pandemic years. We gave her small gifts of a journal-which we all signed, Wendt/Key stubby holders (koozies) in a pretty gold and black fabric bag.
The scenery was amazing, as we drove through multiple National Forests along the Southern Alps and the Tasman Sea. The first park was Mt. Aspiring National Park where we tramped a couple of miles to the Blue Pools. There were 2 long suspension bridges, one that was only safe for 10 people @ a time. The native birds were serenading us along the way with beautiful songs. Next stop Thunder Creek Waterfall which was surrounded by lush greenery in a Rain Forest. As appropriate, it was raining but we were prepared with our raincoats. Lunch was @ the Hard Antler in Haast where we enjoyed Elephant Fish while eating on impressive live edge tables with roots for table legs.
Westland Tai Poutini National Park was next on the itinerary. There were awesome views of the mountains with glacier waters flowing down through the valleys.
Our lodging was located in Waiau in the midst of the rain forest and near the Franz Josef Glacier. We had a quick glance on our way in but tomorrow we will be hiking out to the Glacier. We were impressed as we drove up to our Rainforest Retreats. Our 2 night stay was in actual Treehouses. The treehouses were very cool and elevated on stilts, definitely 5 stars; we even had a bit of a hard time finding them because they were hidden by the jungle of ferns, trees and foliage. Christina had reserved 2 of them for us: one 2 bedroom, 2 bath with a Hot tub on the balcony, which J&J, C&C stayed in and a 1 bedroom, 1 bath where we stayed. The rooms were gorgeous with 3 sliding glass doors and transom windows above spanning across a huge deck. The elevated houses & balconies afforded us beautiful views of the snow capped mountains and forest. At night, we had an awesome, clear sky full of stars with the Southern Cross very visible. We are so thankful for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Dinner was on site at the Rain Forest Monsoon Restaurant where the food was excellent and the 3 fireplaces took the dampness away. After dinner, we all had fun relaxing & laughing in our private hot tub.
In the morning, after Continental breakfast, we drove to the Franz Joseph Glacier trail. Our drive took us to a glacial lookout where we had a view of two glaciers, Fox & Franz Joseph . It was quite windy. We found a trail named Douglas so we took that for a 3.5 mile round trip tramp. That evening, we had a good dinner @ Alice Mae's then a 30 minute tramp on a trail with pretty granite boulders to help digest our big meal. Love all the steps we are clocking. Another vivid, sparkling view of the Milky Way and Southern Cross.
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