It’s A-Mazing

Posted on by February 11, 2012
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Aha Wanaka, home of Puzzle World. We visited this afternoon and played for several hours. As you can see, Mr Fogg practised his expert leaning skills (sans alcohol for a change!).

Then we visited the Maze. 1.5km of maze with a challenge to get to four coloured towers in each corner of the maze. Apparently the average person will cover 3-5km to achieve this in maybe 1 to 1.5hrs. Challenge accepted off we went. Of course competitive Mr Fogg and I separated determined to beat each other to the challenge.

Unfortunately Mr Fogg somehow managed to beat me in getting to the four towers but like me he cheated to exit the place since we would have been stuck for a few more hours otherwise.

All told a fab afternoon acting like children and running around like five year olds trying to compete in high temperatures and a crazy maze.

Ah so the loser got to take Mr Fogg for a meal in town so we opted for a restaurant looking over the lake. Bliss. Mr Fogg, my lover,best friend and crazy man!!

[Posted from Mrs Foggs super cool iphone]

Puzzling Wanaka

Posted on by February 11, 2012
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After a relaxing drive from Haast to Wanaka we have arrived at our accomodation for the evening. “Oh not another B&B” is the quote from Mr Fogg. However once again I’m feeling smug, Just look at the view of Lake Wanaka from our own lofty balcony.

The sun is shining and it’s very warm sat here and peaceful even though this is the most built up area we have seen since Nelson.

So, this afternoon we are off to play at Puzzling World, a big play space for adults with lots of ( can you guess??) puzzles to ponder and a 1.5km maze to get lost in.

Wanaka features in the very start of the Lord of The Rings Two Towers film. since Mount Aspiring and the mountain ranges at the head of the lake are the opening shots of Moria.

Neither of us can believe we are about to start our final week of holiday, it seems to have gone so fast.

There is so much more to see that I suspect we will be planning. return. The downside is that it’s not a cheap place to visit. Must buy a few lottery tickets then…

[Posted from Mrs Foggs super cool iphone]

We Haast Passed the Thunder Falls

Posted on by February 11, 2012
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After a wonderful rest at the “Top 10” in Haast (which appears to be the Kiwi equivalent of the American KOA campgrounds). We did try the hot tub briefly last night to ease the Glacier calves, however the hot tub turned out to be a scalding tub at just over 45 degrees centigrade it was enough to remove the top 3 layers of skin.

Today is a scenic drive over the Haast Pass along a road that took 35 years to build (sounds like British workmen) to Wanaka at the foot of Mt Aspiring, taking in some amazing scenery along the way including the Blue Pools and the Thunder Falls, both of which were extremely refreshing on flip flop feet, cool as ice.

Onward then.

Wanaka here we come from here.

[Posted from my super cool iPhone]

The Sweet Smell of Success

Posted on by February 10, 2012
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Remember the tale of our luggage? No, Well to recap we found a cheap place online, ordered them for next day delivery then nothing (but they took the dosh). We chased them, silence, no emails, no calls, nuffin. So we cancelled the order and went out to buy some. A few days later the luggage arrived, bugga! Then the hassle of returning them before we went on holiday, joy, oh and how to get our money back.

Well after emailing the company relentlessly and threatening legal action and quoting the Sale of Goods Act verbatim (personally I think it was the threat of hunting them down and sending some of Spikes presents in the post that did it), they eventually refunded all but the delivery, satisfied, nope, so the battle continued. Every time we got WiFi in NZ another batch of flames would go out and reviews on any review site going. Success, they relented refunding every penny begging us to stop contacting them, Ha!

Mark that one up for the consumer.

We Haast won from here.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPad]

Touching Cloth

Posted on by February 10, 2012
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So to continue, up at 7am (did someone mention we were on holiday), checkout of the superb Alpine Motor Lodge and round to get suited and booted for the glacier walk.

After donning rubber over trousers, hiking boots and socks, you get hats, waterproof coats and crampons, then onto a coach with the rudest of all guides who really has no interest in the fact you just paid 130NZD to go on a tour, because there is one pace, his, oh and his four year old daughter can do this walk better than any of yuse!! Enamoured not.

After a 15 min drive, then hike through a special bush trail that adds 25 mins to the walk, you make it to the fences where you can only pass if with a guide (for your safety and their pockets, cynic). A 10 min walk up an 80 foot gravel mountain (with our guide spurtin on ahead and no interest if anyone has died on the way), we then meet a slow guide who will take the less able of us on a more sedate walk, and one that will tell us things on the way (what a novelty). So useless guide gone off at a sprinting pace with the fool hardy following, on then with our crampons (yes you can actually put crampons on flip flops) and time to get wet. The half day tour is listed as “moderate” difficulty, mmmm, put it this way you need full upper and lower body strength, squeezing through some very narrow crevasses and at times relying solely on the crampons to stay upright.

After 2 hours you start to feel knackered, but the views are pretty spectacular (and no I don’t mean my physique either). Eventually you get to a clearing where you can have a breather and a snack, yes, err no, time to remove your crampons and prepare for the 1 hour hike back to the bus, where Mr Organised can’t even figure out which bus he is driving.

All told a worth while experience, but probably not one we’d repeat.

We Haast arrived here.

[Posted from my super cool iPhone]

Touching the Void

Posted on by February 10, 2012
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This is just part of the hike across the Franz Josef Glacier this morning. Talk about tiring and strenuous, but we did it. Now where’s that hot tub to chill in, eh?

Fran Josef Glacier, pah from here.

[Posted from my super cool iPhone]

Climb Every Mountain

Posted on by February 9, 2012
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Yup at 8.45am (NZ time), we will start our trek up Franz Josef Glacier. Oh Boy, cold, wet and tired will we be? Well for starters it’s chilly and tipping it down, so there’s two out of three before we start.

After that it’s a drive down to Haast for a good rest hopefully.

The Man that went up a mountain and came back knackered from here.

[Posted from my super cool iPhone]

What Happens in Franz Josef, Stays in Franz Josef

Posted on by February 9, 2012
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Yey Franz Josef in the pouring rain, but who cares. Booked into the Alpines Motor Lodge and upgraded FOC (nice), we wombled down to the Hot Pools, where there are 3 public baths (36, 38 and 40 degrees) and then you can upgrade to your own private pool for an hour, so we did.

Tomorrow at 8.45am we start our wobble up the glacier, so spare a thought for these two poor travellers hiking across a glacier while you are all 2 foot under snow.

Ready to hike the glacier from here.

[Posted from my super cool iPhone]

Banjo Country Down to Franz Josef

Posted on by February 9, 2012
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To continue the tale Mrs Fogg actually found out she had collected dirty pebbles from the beach not priceless stones, oh well who knew (pick me, pick me)

Onward then toward Franz Josef Glacier for our hike tomorrow. On the way we stopped at Pukepura which has the “Puke Pub” serving road kill BBQ (well it would if it hadn’t closed down).

Desperate to spend a penny Mrs Fogg went into the Bushman’s cafe opposite, who refused to let her use the facilities unless she bought something (indeed a sign read, “Not for public use, for customers only, if you have to use them it’s 50 cents per piss”, written in several languages).

In the Bushman’s Cafe they have all manner of signs up and it’s difficult to tell if they are tongue in cheek or genuine banjo strummers! Amongst some of the scrawled signs were “We sell coffee, not cappuccino or espresso or even that gay French latte, just coffee!” or “The hats are here to buy not for picture taking” or “If you are intending to try on a hat and walk around looking like an idiot, don’t bother”, coupled with a sign outside next to a bloodied guillotine stating “notice to all politicians, government bureaucrats, greedy corporate CEO’s, Rip off merchants, over paid bureaucrats (sucking off the tit), Remember the French Revolution Your Day is Coming”.

So continually looking over our shoulders for the wierd looking kid strumming his banjo we decided to beat a hasty retreat and Mrs Fogg heeded the advice by using the bush!

Not Squeeling Like Piggies from here.

[Posted from my super cool iPhone]