Vanessa is quite a handful but we are getting used to each other. The drive down the West Coast wa marvellous, with spectacular scenery in then distance all day, that and the odd Auk pursuing a hapless hobbit and the world seems to be on the right axis. We arrived at Franz Joseph glacier in time for lunch and treated ourselves to a pasty from a "European" bakery rather than make sandwiches , we had the pasty in the car park of the glacier walk and quite enjoyed it. Now whilst this was the same shape and size as a Cornish pasty, it was there that all similarity ended. The filling was to say the least rather odd.
After our pasty lunch we set off to walk to the glacier which was a great experience, you walk along the river bed marvelling at the forces of nature. I have a strong suspicion that this walk would not be possible in the snow melt season. The glacier has 16 metres of rainfall a year but luckily for us it was a dry day.
The glacier itself is huge but has shrunk back ver the years possibly due to climate change. We stood in awe at the base of it looking up at its majesty. The expedition photographer wsas enjoying very minute of it.
After we had walked back down we drove another 20 or so kilometres to Fox Glacier where we booked into our campsite. When we said we wished to stay for two nights the receptionist said "No one stays two nights, Fox Glacier is much too small". For some reason we felt that this was our sort of place, and tomorrow we have to walk up to Fox Glacier and around Mathieson Lake, so we almost have a full day.
We did have a slight discussion about what is meant by guiding the van not a space when you are reversing as Rosemarie made no signals until I was almost touching a tree. When I asked her about this she replied "Well I thought you could see it", anyway no damage done and we were able to laugh about it.
Ther are some very nasty little insects here which are black and quite small that seem to concentrate on biting one's feet, we think they are sand flies. Anyway their bite hurts and the bites are very itchy. Definitely a case for wearing insect repellant.