Fox Glacier, Franz Josef & Mt. Cook Flying over the lowland forest, over the coast and the Tasman Sea, then inland to the upper snowfields of Fox and Franz Josef, going as near Mt. Cook as possible is an awesome feeling says Farzana Contractor, flying in a Cessna. The drive from Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge in Haast to the Westwood Lodge in Franz Josef was probably one of the best in my life. I say this keeping in mind some of the more beautiful ones I have undertaken while driving around Ireland, which is a country I rate very high, in natural beauty. But then the West Coast Highway has been named one of the top 10 coastal drives in the world by the traveller�s Bible (and mine too) the Lonely Planet guide. Six hundred kilometers long and no wider than 70 kilometers at any point, the West Coast has a rich environmental heritage and boasts five of New Zealand�s 14 national parks. You notice many high mountains, low glaciers, rainforest, wild beaches, caves and rivers. It�s a cultural heartland populated by just 31,000 people. The reason I might have enjoyed this drive even more was due to the soft drizzle that kept me company all along for the three hours that it took me to reach Fox Glacier. There was mist and fog and with the car windows down, you could actually smell the whole atmosphere, drink in the glory.
Driving down 20 minutes on the same road I reached Franz Josef, where a warm cozy room overlooking a bush garden awaited me. I lazed around a bit, nibbled at a fruit and when the rain let up, went for a spot of riding. You can�t come to New Zealand and not go on horseback. The country side looks even more charming while riding and in the distance, the glacier and the Southern Alps look even more stunning. All very comfortable as long as you ride along at an easy pace and don�t go out of your way to prove your equestrian skills. What was disappointing however was that my scheduled ski plane flight that morning was cancelled. Bad weather. And one couldn�t tell if the plane would take off the next day either. It�s a light weight Cessna and much depends upon the weather. Well, keeping your fingers crossed while falling off to sleep works because next day there was the happy sun peeping through the clouds and it looked like our ski plane would take off after all. At the air strip, meeting the Capt I learned that yes we would go up in the air, fly over the lowland forest, over the coast and the Tasman Sea, then fly inland to the upper snowfields of Fox and Franz Josef, go as near Mt. Cook as possible, but no we would not be snow landing anywhere because it was an extremely windy day! Now that was disappointing, I was so looking forward to a snow landing, I felt I was being cheated out of my great adrenalin moment. But I settled down in the tiny plane glad that we were at least soon going to be air-borne.
The view from up there is mind blowing, to say the least. The noise level is pretty high and you communicate with the pilot through the head phones that you got on. And he talks as you go along�Franz Village, Franz Glacier, Franz Neve, Mt. Elie de Beumont, Mt. Tasman, Mt. Cook, Fox Glacier, Fox Village. It�s a cool ride. And the contrasts are pretty stark. From snow capped peaks, to forest land, pastures, the coast and the sea.
What is of course unusual for us Indians is to eat dinner at 7 pm. But again, it is such sensible timing. So civilized. Order a nice red wine, linger over it, have a conversation with your companion, nibble at some starters, and then silently devour the roast chops. Have to admit at this point, that though New Zealand lamb is delicious, I�d feel most guilty eating it. How can you not feel awful when you stop so often to watch the curly haired sheep grazing in fields, the cute new born ones frolicking behind their mamas. Shame. But c�est la Vie. And half the fun of the good life in New Zealand is in it�s restaurants. Mount Cook Ski Planes
WESTWOOD LODGE
PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR |
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At the little Fox village, you meet with �Fox Glacier Guiding� where accredited guides take you for a half or full day Glacier Tour. It�s a walk on the West Coast�s largest glacier amongst fascinating ice features, set in the incredible frozen world of Fox Glacier.
Once up in the air and climbing higher and whirling towards the Tasman Sea, I realized this was getting my adrenalin pumping anyways. You feel like a little sparrow in the sky- sitting on a match stick!
Mission accomplished, I returned to the tiny Franz Josef town and went exploring its main street. It took me precisely 10 minutes to see all there was to see. A gas station, where I filled up my car tank, a quaint church with doors closed, three gifts and souvenir shops and about four small restaurants to choose from, for dinner! I settled for Blue Ice and was not the least disappointed. Though from the outside, The Alice May looked prettier. But I am not one to judge a book by it�s cover. I stand and read the menus very carefully. It is such a sensible system they have abroad, of displaying the menu outside the main door, helps.
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