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I remember hearing about the death on the news. I assume it's re-opened, but you might want to e-mail the operator to make sure. Unfortunately, it's not the only death on the glaciers - two Australian brothers were crushed to death at Fox Glacier in 2009 too.
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Quite unfortunate.. We ought to respect nature and not ignore the danger signs.. Will find out about whether it has been opened again..
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mglb, there is a no landing option too.. and your review makes it quite a 'must do' for us.. have heard about the milford helihike too and mostly good things.. we will leave it open about the milford helihike, but book the glacier one..
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Punga Grove & Matheson Motel seem decent for the glacier area, but would you know of any on Lake Mapourika/ Lake Matheson/ Gillespie Beach with really scenic surroundings and hosts with flawless reputation, ala The Croft?
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Or perhaps this one:
http://www.mistypeaks.co.nz/ No personal experience with either, but they look good to me. |
The difference with the most recent glacier accident is that he was on a guided tour, not some one who ignored the barrier signs.
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Is this worthwhile in the glaciers?? Anybody done this? http://www.glacierkayaks.com/
Melnq- awesome recos no doubt, but still these options in the glaciers don't have the same feel as The Croft or even Ocean View Chalets, and quite overpriced IMO.. still looking for that aha! place & deal.. looked up rainforest retreat and others as well, still not impressed. Good accommodation is very important to me personally (along with the right pricing) and somehow the glaciers seem disappointing for the honeymooners on a not-so-extended budget.. Might settle for YHA if nothing extraordinary comes up in my search! mlgb - accidents can happen anytime, even when we are careful.. quite unfortunate, but life goes on.. we can just do our bit and pray for things beyond our control.. |
QT, can we go without booking our stay? We are inclined to stay either at Villa Del Lago or at The Canyons Lodge.
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NZ school holidays don't begin until Dec 20, so you might be okay. I prefer to book ahead myself, ensuring that I get what I want and don't have to potentially waste vacation time looking for accommodation.
Villa Del Lago is nice, I've stayed there twice. Bella Vista motel in Franz Josef is an option if you're looking for something inexpensive, but a step above the backpackers (I'd imagine). You'll find a Bella Vistas all over the SI. |
25 mins away from Franz Josef.. secluded, scenic, bird sanctuary, kayaking n hiking haven.. dirt cheap rates.. http://www.okaritobeachhouse.com/ Good idea????
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and www.okaritokiwitours.co.nz lets us do kiwi spotting at nights.. this seems exciting!!
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and white herons!! i am sold.. :-)
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looks good..
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After lot of looking, searching, despairing and reconciling, finally booked Glenfern Villas in Franz Josef!! Thanks for all your inputs, especially Melnq for the glaciers.
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Able to extract 4 more days of holidays!!! Now leaving NZ on 17th.. Can we do Mt. Cook & Rotorua too now?? Or should we do more of what we are already doing?
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we did nz for 16 days in december 09. Keep your programme flexible-kaikoura and the glaciers.We did fox. One day at the glaciers is enough. U will get to see it from the base but heli hike and galcier landing is weather dependent. our helihike was cancelled but alpine guides did a helicopter landing on the glaciers for us.Its mind blowing
Stay at wanaka.Its a beautiful town. do the drive to milford and book a overnight at doubtful sound. In case u are planning on milford cruise do the cruise at the end of the day. pray its rains and the drive will be unforgettable.Mt Cook is spectacular and do the glacier explorer trip. bOOK IN ADVANCE. We liked rotorua. When in wanaka make the booking for the bungy jump at isite office and u can do it on the way to queenstown. last advice-be careful on the speed limits, especiallly queenstown to te anau and milford and within the towns. |
Change of dates have led to change of plans.. With more interaction on this forum and after going through the guides and maps, we have come up with the following itinerary.. I can almost visualize Melanie & mlgb going ' Gawd No! Not again!!'.. But we have introspected more and spent time visualizing what we would like to do there.. and the following is the outcome of that process..
To capture the essence- we are on our honeymoon, aged 30 & 32, we would like to relax, watch out-of-the-world natural beauty (and capture it in our video camera), go whale & dolphin watching, go helihiking, do some not-so-strenuous treks, do kayaking, horseriding, ride jetboats, do bungee jumping, skydiving,zorbing, take the TranzAlpine train etc.. We do not want to drive more than 4-5 hrs a day.. We can do 1 night stays if essential - to break long journeys or if it serves a special purpose.. We now reach Christchurch at 2:20 PM on 1st December and leave NZ from Christchurch at 8:30 PM. Our planned night stays are: Dec Night Stay 1st Hanmer Springs 2nd Kaikoura 3rd Marahau 4th Marahau 5th Marahau 6th CHC 7th Glaciers 8th Glaciers 9th Wanaka 10th Mt. Cook 11th Queenstown 12th Queenstown 13th Queenstown 14th Doubtful Sound 15th Te Anau 16th Te Anau 17th Fly Away Details of these days are as follows: Dec Activities 1st Land in CHC; drive on to Hanmer Springs; Have a spring & spa treatment and a good nights sleep.. 2nd Late morning; Drive on to Kaikoura at leisure to reach by 3; whale watch tour.. 3rd Leisurely drive to reach Picton by 1; visit seal colonies on the way; mail boat ride; drive to Marahau 4th Activities in Abel Tasman 5th Activities in Abel Tasman 6th Activities around Nelson, evening flight to CHC 7th Tranz Alpine to Greymouth; detour to Punakaiki; drive to glaciers 8th Activities around glaciers 9th Drive leisurely to Wanaka; activities around Wanaka 10th Drive to Mt Cook, Make sure of Glacier Explorer Tour 11th Ensure Glacier Explorer Tour; Drive to Queenstown 12th Activities around Queenstown 13th Activities around Queenstown 14th Drive to Manapouri for an overnight cruise over Doubtful Sound 15th In and around Te Anau 16th Early to Milford Sound; Leisurely Drive Back to Te Anau with detours 17th Drive to Queenstown for the flight to Christchurch; Antarctica Center in CHC; Fly out.. We are taking in somewhat in-depth experiences of Abel Tasman, Queenstown and Fiordland compared to other attractions, as we feel these are the places which will give us the most of what we want. Do let us know if you think it can be bettered and any other temptations incorporated?? Thanks a lot in advance! |
ih, thanks for your comments and your trip report.. we have used a few of your ideas for our plans..
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