This morning I completely forgot to take a towel with me when I went to shower. I did not realize this until after I was done showering. So, I stood there like an idiot for about ten minutes trying to air dry before I finally broke down and used the clean shirt that I’d intended to wear today. Then I left the showering supplies in the bathroom. Fortunately they were still there when I returned for them.
Our breakfast today consisted of potato chips. Yum.
After we left the campground, we did a lot of driving. Fortunately, it was Alyssa’s turn. Ha ha sucks to be her.
Our main focus for the day was seeing glaciers. The first stop we made was the Fox Glacier, which was an hour and a half walk just to see a bunch of ice lodged between some mountains, which we were viewing from several kilometers away. Apparently, in order to actually go on the glacier, you need to pay a buttload of money for a guided tour. I call bullshit on that. It’s just a block of ice. I’m from Wisconsin. I can handle it myself, thanks.
Along the path, Alyssa died because she is horribly out of shape and I got sick, possibly because I am horribly out of shape. Amanda charged forth like there was nothing unnatural about walking such a steep, constant uphill path. We walked over a river at one point. It was a very shallow river and there were large rocks which were easy to jump to and from. The water was so clear, we couldn’t help but cup our hands and drink some. It actually tasted very good. On the way back down, which was much more expedient and easy, we observed a large rock that was positioned strangely. It had a name. I’ve forgotten the name. I felt like puking on it, which I mercifully did not do.
The next stop was in the town of Fox Glacier, which is aptly named after the Fox Glacier. We ate at a ridiculously overpriced restaurant; by ’ridiculously overpriced’ I mean Amanda paid nine dollars for a coffee cup worth of tomato soup. If we’d had any indication of the portion sizes, this would not have come to pass. Alyssa got a burger for $14, but it was a huge burger. I got a salad. Salads are supposed to be cheap, right? This one was $18. It was a large salad but there ended up being a good amount of it that I wouldn’t eat. I think there were equal parts lettuce and onions. Also there was some kind of unidentified meat trying to blend in with the chicken; it was darker and very, very salty, and after I ate some and determined it was revolting, I inspected it closer and came to the conclusion it must be fish. I’m assuming it was sardines, possibly anchovies, but probably sardines. I was not pleased. Otherwise, the salad was good. It came with four slices of garlic pesto bread, which was great. We ordered raspberry lemonades, which turned out to be Sprite with a shot of raspberry juice in the bottom. I also got a glass of water, which I found to be bitter and would have rather had the river water that we’d drank on the glacier path. I think that water might have been clearer, too. All in all, if it weren’t the case anyway, we’d never go back to that restaurant.
So then we drove on to the next glacier, the Franz Josef Glacier, which was a much shorter walk though still uphill, and also viewable only from a distance. Disappointing, yes, but at least I can say I’ve seen glaciers. As we drove back down the road that led to the glacier, we saw a sign that said, "In 1720 the glacier was here!" and were a little amazed. I’m not sure if we were amazed because it moved that fast, or because it moved that slowly.
We then did quite a bit more driving, attempting to stop for gas in three small towns, but the gas stations were closed and didn’t have pay at the pump. This was between 6 and 7pm. New Zealand is ridiculous about closing times.
We pressed on to Hokitika, the largest city on the West Coast. Though not necessarily out of necessity, we chose to sleep in the back of the van to save money. Perhaps to recoup some of the loss from that outrageously priced lunch of ours. We made a quick stop at a gas station to fill up and get something cold to drink. Amanda and I got a fruit juice smoothie thingy to share and it was really good. Then we drove out of town and found a nice lookout with a sign saying camping is ok. We threw all the luggage into the front two seats and laid all the back seats down, which fold neatly into a kind of mattress, and snuggled into the back like gerbils.
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