There was steady rain for most of the night so we were not expecting too much today. There have been warnings for those in North Island for flooding rains, as a result of Cyclone Cook, with the rain travelling south. We had a slow start - a bit of a laze around, a read and scrambled eggs with all our leftovers and some bacon. Very nice it was too.
 |
| Some people will find anywhere to read |
 |
| Fox Glacier |
Fed by four alpine glaciers, Fox Glacier falls 2,600 m on its 13 km journey from the Southern Alps down to the coast, with it having the distinction of being one of the few glaciers to end among lush rainforest only 300 metres above sea level.
By the time we got back to the car the rain was beginning to set in again. We drove to Lake Matheson, not expecting to see the famous view of Mount Cook but hoping we might be able to do the walk. It looks like the only view we will get of Mount Cook this trip is the glimpse we had yesterday. As it was now pouring with rain we made the easy decision to abandon the 90-minute walk to the lake. Instead, we settled for coffees and hot chocolate, before heading for Franz Joseph.
 |
| The bottom picture is the view over Lake Matherson on a fine day - we only saw cloud |
It was still raining when we got to Franz Joseph so we did some shopping hoping the weather might ease before we headed to the beginning of the walk. We had lunch, and as it was still raining we decided the 90-minute walk in the rain wouldn't be much fun.
After filling up with fuel (well $60 worth as it is considerably dearer here than elsewhere) we headed north. We had thought to stay at the DOC campsite at Lake Mapourika but it didn't look particularly attractive in the rain.
Next plan was Pukekura which looked even less exciting so we pushed on to the Historic Empire Hotel at Ross, where we had a powered site beside the pub. A bit rustic but full of charm and friendly people, and an excellent buffet dinner (chowder, roast meats, veggies and salad for $25. Kids half price.
