Go West (Life is Peaceful There)

Who let that girl behind the wheel? WHEEEEE!!!
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This is the checklist part of the trip. Everyone says that the west coast is a beautiful drive, and of course there are a ton of natural wonders to see along the route. But the funny thing about this area is that you don't really have a need to stay at any one place for more than about the 30 minutes it takes to hike from the road to the wonder, and back. So we were on the move, driving and stopping and taking pictures than back to driving again. On the plus side, we felt super efficient. In this manner, we were able to...

Ben is very strong. Or is that just -- an ILLUSION!?!?
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Visit Glenorchy, and travel a little further past to an area called Paradise which would have been idyllic if Ben hadn't forced Jenny to drive. Jenny does not like driving. She made it about 3 kilometres on the unpaved road in about 30 minutes, then for the sake of efficiency Ben took over again. We made it only as far as Wanaka for the first night, because we spent the whole afternoon in Puzzling World, an amazing place full of illusion rooms, puzzles, games, and a two-level labyrinth. It was puzzle-icious.

It's an illusion.
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The next morning we wandered around Wanaka harbour to view an exhibition of Earth from Above photos (you know, like the coffee table book), and then drove on to the glaciers which were too cloudy to view, so we called it an early night and crossed our fingers for the morning. We were thoroughly rewarded with a clear view of Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman, and so we wandered to Lake Matheson to get the picture that is on postcards throughout the country, with full reflection in the water. It was beautiful, even with all the other tourists.

Who better to run a maze?
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Next we stopped at Fox Glacier where we were met by the same group of tour buses, and some scary signs that warned us not to get too close to the ice. So we drove on to Franz Josef Glacier where we continued past several of those signs, going up river to actually touch some glacial ice. We were safe though, not doing anything stupid like standing underneath where the water and ice drip/crash down (like some of the doofuses from the tour bus which, again, crossed our path). We passed through Hokitika where we did not eat any whitebait sandwiches, and we set up the tent for our last night camping in a looooong time.

Phew, never thought we'd make it out of there. Sadly, no cheese awaited us.
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It was not the best night to end on- we were woken in the middle of the night by the sounds of Punakaki's blowholes at high tide, and for the first time in over three months (!!!) Jenny had to pee in the middle of the night, forcing Ben to get up with her and walk her in the dark to the ablution block. Too much information?

The next day proved much better. We saw the Punakaki pancake rocks and the noisy blowholes from the night before, as well as some seals at Cape Foulwind. Before heading back nor-east, we picked up some west coast ice cream. The lady was nice enough to finish a container on our cone, and then gave us the box to scrape through on the road (she was just gonna throw it out!). A sweet ending to a lovely south island adventure.

Mousehead knows how to solve the cube, but can't because Mousehead lacks hands.
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Addendum:

OK, so we're not technically done with the South Island here. We went back to Blenheim, where we just happened to run into Ben's parents. Well it wasn't totally accident, but it was reasonably good timing that we got to see them. On a sadder note, they were coming in to see Ben's Nana who had a fall and was subsequently moving into a rest home. You will be pleased to know that she is doing much better now. Plus, we got to enjoy some family time, including visiting Anna's cousin in Moetapu Bay, climbing Wither Hills (finally), and enjoying some lovely dinners out. As if that weren't enough, we got to send all of our warm clothes home with them, and reduce our packs from a combined 40 kg to a comfortable 26.

Rubik's cube quilt. Jenny's heaven.
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And throughout all of our visit to the South Island, we had the hospitality of Jill and Jock, ever providing the comfort of family.  There isn't a font big enough to say THANK YOU for everything.  We owe you a very nice visit to the States.

Now the only person within the immediate family left to visit us is Jeremy. And that doof is all busy with finals, thesis, graduation, and fighting off job offers with a stick. Congratulations, punk, we're waiting for you.