The area from Blenheim to the Southern Alps was a gorgeous valley, full of vineyards, sheep and cows, surrounded by beautiful mountains. We had mostly sunny weather, and then when some rain was falling in the distance, we came across the most perfect rainbow - complete with a kiwi crossing sign (the only kiwi crossing sign we've seen the entire trip, mind you). New Zealand continues to impress with its scenery - and it's amazing timing with things like rainbows.
The Buller Gorge through the Alps was lush and scenic, with us following the Buller River from a small braided river to a roaring beast as it neared the Tasman Sea. Then the West Coast, with its fierce waves, rock formations, and amazing cliffs did not disappoint. The highlight of the West Coast scenery was stopping at Pancake Rocks and Blowholes (hee hee - blowholes), which photos can just capture a small part of the uniqueness of these rocks and the fury of the sea as it crashed ashore.
We rewarded ourselves when we finally arrived at Franz Josef Glacier with a nice soak in their Glacier Hot Pools. Not quite as natural as the hot springs in Rotorua but still a nice way to spend an hour or so after a long drive. Franz Josef village itself is 2 blocks long by 1 block deep, so it's a small little town whose express purpose is to support visitors to the nearby glacier. We found ourselves a nice pizza joint in town with Friday night specials, added a bottle of Pinot Noir, and settled in for the night at our motel (side note: NZ is teeming with motels; they have not gone out of fashion here, though backpackers, hotels, and "holiday parks" (RV parks) are also plentiful).
(we're quite limited in our internet here at this motel in Wanaka where I'm catching up on a few days of blog posts, so I'll have to go back and add more pics later - sorry!)
8/13/13: photos added - thanks free wifi!
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