West Coast Scenery and Mountains - January 5-7

Hi everyone! It's me again - I will be able to get caught up on the blog today! We rose early this morning to catch the coach to Queenstown. Last evening it began to rain, and with the crashing thunder and deluge of rain all night and this morning thus far, we have received 200 ml. of rainfall, enough to close the road on our highway en route! It feels like all the deluge of Noah's Ark has happened again in our little town of abode! If we see the animals all hurrying along, we will be sure to board as well. Only problem...New Zealand does not have many animals, only birds!! So we are rain-bound in the little township of Franz Josef Glacier Township. The annual 6 metres of rainfall that they get over the course of the year seems to be pouring down all at once here this morning. Lucky that we had such a fabulous day yesterday for trekking, because today they have closed some of the walks and the final approach to the Franz Josef glacier itself!
It all began on January 5th when we took the Trans-Alpine train across the island to New Zealand's west coast. The train ride was very picturesque, passing along fields with sheep, cattle or elk herds, through high mountain passes and between rolling hills of the Southern Alps. We arrived at Greymouth and transferred to a coach that drove us to the Westland/Tai Poutini National Park. The scenery is spectacular and very pristine, reminiscent of scenery in Alaska.
The next morning was sunny and warm, and we shuttled up to the glacier site. We spent four hours trekking to the terminus of the Franz Josef Glacier along the river bed, and then also hiked through the rainforest. The rainforest is unlike anything we have ever seen before. Yes, there is snow at the glacier and the mountain tops, but the temperature is warm enough to support the growth of palm trees, roses, fushia flowers and lush ferns and greenery.
So, New Zealand is a land of contrast - North Island has all the inhabitants, South Island has all the gorgeous scenery, and the West Coast has the rainforest that is unlike anything we have ever seen. Last night we went to the Glacier thermal pools, sitting outside only with a canopy above to keep out the rain - very soothing and relaxing.

About an hour late the police cleared the bus for departure today on January 7. It was a most interesting trip to Queenstown. En route we saw small riverbeds almost overflowing their banks. If we saw one, we saw myriads of tiny waterfalls cascading down the mountainsides everywhere. There were lots of one-way bridges where we had to wait for oncoming traffic. But the trusty bus got us through safely and now we will stay in Queenstown for the next three days. Wish you were here to join us in viewing the spectacular sights of New Zealand!