Great Sights Bustrip
Leaving Punakaiki after a couple of days felt just right. Elisa and Katie went on the same bus with me again. Both having different destinations though. Once we got on the bus everything felt different right away. The Intercitybus service had been great so far, except for one busdriver who was less engaged as the ones before….. but now being on the Great Sights Bus (companies belong together) it felt like being on a privat touring bus.
Our bus driver (very unfortunate I have forgotten his name already) and the second bus driver, her name was MEL, hard to forget that one 😉 , were amazing! We stopped at the quaint town named Hokitika… if I would have known on forehand I would have defenitely wanted to spend at least one night there! Got about 45 minutes time to explore around. Jade shops all over the place as well as the National Kiwi Centre. If you ever get the chance… I definitely recommend this lovely place.
HariHari
We made another short stop at HariHari. Mel told us all about this small sleepy place. There had once been an Australian man called Guy Menzies. This adventurous aviator flew the first solo trans-Tasman flight from Sydney.
Appaerantly he had planted to fly to Perth, although this was only because he was fearing he might be denied permission for the flight. He headed though for Blenheim, NZ. Running out of fuel and poor weather forced Menzies to make an emergency landing. He crash-landed on 7. January 1931 upside-down in the La Fontaine Swamp near Harihari which he thought was a meadow and miraculously survived!
Fox Glacier
Late afternoon I finally arrived at Fox Glacier. It was the final destination and it felt a shame to say goodbye to Mel and the other bus driver. They had been such wonderful people. They even dropped all of us off at the doorstep of our accommodation! Just because they could. Kindness around the world – once again!
I got to share my dorm with an older lady originally from Japan now a resident of the UK. She was a bit of a quirky, very talkative and interesting woman. She invited me to join her on her evening walk. Happily I excepted. The short Minnehaha walk was lovely and at night glowworms could be spotted under the huge roots of the massive trees. Magical! (although nothing beats the “secret path” from Te Miko!)
Lake Gault & Lake Matherson
The next morning we both got up at 5.20 a.m. to cycle with the free shabby bikes to Lake Matherson. We parked our bikes at the cafe and walked first to Lake Gault. It was chilly but beautiful already. We went for a brisk walk and once at the lake it was stunning! The reflection of both Mt. Tasman and Mt Cook were easily to be spotted in the lake. Due to the clouds it wasn’t as spectacular as on some intragram photos… but being there was incredible.
My Japenese companion was in a rush to get back, whereas I felt like staying forever. So we said “Goodbye & see you later”. I enjoyed observing the clouds telling me stories for a while before heading back to do the circular walk around Lake Matherson. By now the weather was starting to change. Clouds slowly taking over and the blue sky spots now hard to find …
As it often happens during my walks I entered into a meditive state of mind. I thought how grateful I was for everything that had came across my journey so far. How the “manifesting” had worked out since I left Austria. How much I still would love to spot a kiwi bird! And then it hit me! On the right side of the path I was facing out of the blue (or should I say green…) a massive KIWI. The image was so clear that it couldn’t be misinterpreted if you’d ask me.
To celebrate this wonderful day I treated myself at Bar Neve having a snack and tasty Cappuccino. A few minutes later an amazing female couple arrived with their son by bike, doing the Te Araroa trail. The kid was only 10 years old! Instantly he turned out to be my hero of the day!
My last day I went for the Fox Glacier River walk... although not all the way. Lingering around the little town and its two bar’s felt better. I love writing in my diary while observing people around me.
Now ready to go and meet up with my dear friend Christl and her lovely family in Hawea Flat!
