So we left Haast and Jonny's pride behind and made our way over to Franz Josef Glacier, something which we were both really looking forward to. We decided to take the time to drive via Jackson's Bay which was supposed to be a brilliant drive - and it didn't disappoint. We stopped in Jackson's Bay and walked round with a cup of tea trying to avoid the sandflies. The Bay literally consisted of about 3 buildings and a public toilet but the view over the sea was amazing, unfortunately it was out of season but there tends to be a lot of penguins and other birds there. The rest of the drive to Franz Josef tested Jonnys driving skills. We drove up mountain after mountain on really winding roads and ended up in the clouds on a number of occasions! But it did mean that we were rewarded with some great panoramic views.
We arrived in the relatively small town of Franz Josef to a campsite nestled in a mini rainforest. Getting to the only supermarket we bought dinner, freaked out that we couldn't buy any of our favourite Mac's beer and discovered that NZ law means
Franz Josef Glacierthey can't sell any alcohol over the Easter weekend. Weirdos. So we stocked up! After having a look at our options we decided that paying $300-$400 for a heli-hike or guided tour of the glacier was out of the question so we settled on a free hour and a half walk at Okarito Lagoon (about 15 min drive away) which took us through a forest and up to a viewpoint which looked over the whole lagoon and into the sea before walking up to the glacier.
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