We took a shuttle to the airport for our car pick up. Again to save cash we took an economy car, erm, it had a cassette player...only, and the door opened with a key!
By the time the woman had finished doing a check of the car for scratches and dents it looked as though she had sneezed biro on the page. Nevertheless it ran and we set off due West over Arthurs pass and through the Southern Alps to the Fox Glacier.
It is truly a spectacular drive, I don't know anywhere else on earth where you can look out of the drivers window and see rolling surf and white sandy beaches and then through the passenger window and see temperate rainforest and jungle then pine forests giving way to 10,000ft snowcapped mountains.
We had 380 odd kilometres to cover and it was flying by as the roads were quiet and the weather clear, it was all going well, we even stopped in a lay-by to take in the view only to be accosted by the Worlds only Alpine parrot- the Kea which means 'big ass nosey bird.'
But then as we pulled out of the lay-by, behind us a big blue articulated truck was using it's engine brakes to slow down on the steep incline, as we bottomed out of the ravine the truck caught up, then it did more than catch up, it actually got so close I could read not just the number plate but count the bugs on the grill, now you have to bear in mind that these are windy back country roads with no passing places so we have gone from quiet country drive to being Denis Hopper in the film classic - 'The Duel' ( rent it)
The speed limit is 100kph and I'm at 120 and this chap is still on my ass, even up hill he's never out of my mirror, now if I pull over he's going to gut us both with a paring knife, but then if I keep going he's going to nudge us over a cliff, but maybe if I brake hard and cause him to jack knife, I can pull on the hand brake with full right lock on, rotating 180 degrees as the trialer comes at me side on across the road and slide underneath him as he passes me in the road and falls off the cliff and into oblivion. So I decide to pull into a gas station and let him pass- not so scary then.
We arrive at Franz Josef and 20 minutes later Fox Glacier, we are surrounded by the Southern Alps and the snow capped twin peaks of Mt Cook and Mt Tasman. Mt Cook the tallest peak in New Zealand, at 3400 and something meters, is still lower than our Tibet hotel.
Now if you look at your digital camera, if it has a 'scene' setting there will be one called 'landscape' with a classic picture of an obscure mountain range reflected in a mirror-like lake, surrounded by pine trees, well here it be, Lake Matheson and the Southern Alps.
Motel for the night, Salmon and steak for dinner. Just Whitebait, Mussels, Rack of Lamb and Venison to check off the 'eat' list now, oh and a local Pinot Noir.
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