February 6, 2001 Tuesday - Greymouth - Franzjosef
We left Greymouth after that and left for the Franzjosef Glacier. We stopped by a tourist trap - I mean jade factory so people can browse to buy jade, then to another trap - I mean pub where you can buy hot scones. I really hate the way the Magic bus takes us to these tourist traps so they can earn a little extra commission.
The weather turned nicer and we stopped by the town of Ross to view the gold mining town. Supposedly, you can "try your hand at gold panning", but what they do is they give you a pan of sand and rocks, sprinkle some gold dust in it, and you can try to retrieve the gold for A$5. This is by far the worst tourist trap I've ever seen.
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| Michelle and Rebecca showing thumbs-down for the town of Ross, New Zealand |
I hung out a little bit with 2 Canadian girls - Michelle and Rebecca, and I took a picture of them showing how much they also appreciate this trap - I mean town. We got to Franzjosef late in the afternoon and some people went on the half day hike while other people tried the heli-hike, where they helicopter you to the mid point of the glacier and you can continue to hike.
It started raining on and off and it was COLD. I decided that I just wanted to see the glacier so I started walking to the glacier, which was about an hour away. I stuck my thumb out a few times and managed to get a ride with Kirk and Andy - two Aussies traveling through NZ.
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| Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand |
I rode with them and chatted with them for a while. One of them was studying engineer while the other one is doing Asian studies. By the time we got out of the car, it was raining lightly. We climbed a lookout and took a few pictures before heading toward the glacier.
We passed Patrick's group on the way and they were still getting instructions. The rain continued and we were able to get to the glacier and touch it before heading back. By the time we got to the car park, it was pouring down and we all got soaking wet. I went back to the hostel to soak in the tub while the two Aussies continue their way south.
;)
;)
