My route from Nelson to Fox Glacier was a ten-hour journey along the South Island's West Coast. First we'd travel west from Nelson to the town of Westport, and then south along the shoreline, past Punakaika, Greymouth, and Hokitika before reaching Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers.
I had heard that the West Coast was the rainiest part of New Zealand, and the first few hours of the bus trip reinforced that stereotype. It was dumping heaps of rain as bus driver Frank negotiated some pretty tight turns on a road that looked like it was carved out of the side of a forested mountain. Small natural rainfalls were a common sight along the side of the road, spalshing water down next to us as we drove by. Eventually the terrain started to even out, and the hills opened up to gray-blue lakes adorned with more waterfalls. The winding roads and constant turning seemed to have taken its toll on some passengers, as some people needed to move past me to the front of the bus to overcome bouts of nausea.
Over two-thirds of the passengers got off at Westport, leaving only six of us on the bus. Frank turned us around and started to drive south on roads that were no more than 100 metres from the coastline of the Tasman Bay. The rain slowed to a drizzle and then abated, leaving only threatening gray clouds overhead. As we climbed higher around the coast, I got sight of some of the best views of the day, overlooking the rough seas of the Tasman.
After lunch in Punakaika, we continued south to Greymouth, a terminus of the TranzScenic train network that runs daily from Christchurch. We switched buses and picked up some more passengers before heading south once more to Hokitika, where we took our final break as Frank waited for the delivery of newspapers and other cargo items to be delivered to the far flung towns we would soon visit. I used the time to take a walk to a small beach a few minutes away from the bus stop and use the last ATMs I would see for several days. I don't remember why now, but I took a photo to preserve the moment.
For the last four hours of the trip we moved slightly inland into forested terrain. After an hour, the forests opened up. It had stopped raining, and the sky was blue at this point--revealing my first look at the South Island's snow-capped mountains. I jumped between the aisle to the other side of the bus several times to get pictures as we whizzed by the scenery.
As we approached Franz Josef, the townships started to get smaller and farther apart. We'd stop at each one in front of the town cafe/general store, and Frank would run inside with a bundle of newspapers or a small package or two for the shopkeepers. I guess these daily Intercity services were more convenient then sending a postman out to these small townships. Nine hours after we left Nelson, we pulled into Franz Josef township, the larger of the two glacial towns. The town greeted us with a vibrant rainbow over the main street.
From Franz, it was just a 50 minute drive south to the terminal point of the bus route and my destination: Fox Glacier (population ~350). As far as I could tell, Fox Glacier had exactly two roads, four cafes, several motels, a general store that closed at 7pm, and one hostel. It was probably the smallest town that I've ever spent the night in. Even though it is a tourist town, it felt more homely than Franz Josef--I had the feeling that people actually led their lives here, albeit a different life from the one I was used to.
I would be sharing my room at Ivory Towers Lodge with the other passengers from my bus: a Taiwanese guy named Wallace that I would run into at several other points on my journey, and two Americans studying at the University of Otago. During the obligatory introductions, I found out that one of the Americans was good friends with one of my friends in middle school and high school--a guy who I've been playing fantasy baseball with for years. Small world.
I actually really liked Ivory Towers. It seemed to be entirely made up of short-term travelers (not long-term working residents), and people seemed friendly and wanting to get to know each other. There was a wood fire burning in a common area, and I read through "A Wild Sheep Chase" for a second time after playing chess with one of my roommates and an Israeli guy. It was a cold hostel, however. It didn't have central heat, and the only warmth in the bedrooms came from a small floor heater that turned off every hour. This was remedied by a warm, comfortable duvet blanket, and I got a great night sleep before my glacier walk the next day.
Coming up next: A day on Fox Glacier.
By the way, I also finished editing the video from my trip--I'll post it up on Youtube and make another post at some point so you can see moving pictures from NZ.
Who was the friend he knew? And who won the chess games? What an adventure!
ReplyDelete