Greymouth to Franz Josef

This morning we leave Greymouth for Franz Josef.  It’s only about a 3 hour drive but we plan on making several stops along the way.  We are unable to get the GPS to work in the car but we will use Here We Go.  Our rental car is a Hybrid Toyota Camry.  Nice car but I’ve never driven a hybrid!  Bit of a learning curve!  We should save a lot on fuel!

We stop at Shanty Town which is a rebuild of a gold mining town.  Quite well done but we decide to skip the $38 admission and carry on to Hokitika Gorge for our hike before the rain comes.

The water is a beautiful turquoise color.  











These ferns are beautiful. The forest is a typical rain forest.  So thick and lush.



There were a few people brave enough to go swimming.  Actually it was a really quick dip as the water is glacier.

Down at Hokitika Beach.



It’s a pretty gray day at the beach.











This was a strange type of long boat.  Looked like it was powered by steam and had a paddle wheel on the back.



This is downtown Franz Josef.  Pretty quiet.  Made up of motels, restaurants and helicopter glacier tour companies.  Blink and you miss it!



We spotted some snow up on the mountains.  Unless you take a tour by helicopter you can’t see the glacier from down below.