Queenstown

Done a few miles since we last had time to connect.

We drove to Punakaiki on the coast-very weird formations they call "Pancake Rocks", big blowholes and surge pools amongst these otherworldly rocks. It rained (again) but we timed it just right so Thelma could go out on the trail-they have many paved trails so she can get to see more. We partook of the Sunday Dinner at the only cafe in the "town"-roast beef, pork, and lamb with all the trimmings. Very good home cookin'.

Then on to Franz Josef Glacier-Strange to see a glacier all the way down into the rainforest. Thelma got to see it fromthe viewspot on the road, and then Tom and Georganna walked up the riverbed for about a mile and got quite close. Warm, sunny day, and a big mountain of ice right there. they do heli-tours and glacier walks, complete with crampons and ice axes, but we declined.

Yesterday we left the west coast (Georganna's favorite so far) and drove inland to Queenstown, which is tourist central of the Soth Island. We are south of the 45th parallel, so it stays light out til after 10pm and is daylight before 6 am. They do a lot of partying here as it is so light out so long. The town is smack on a big lake and then they have this gondola that goes straight up the side of a mountain so you have a real bird's eye view of the whole area. They stopped the gondola so Thelma could get on and off, and we got almost a 360 degree view.

Tomorrow is the Shotover boat and the first Lord of the Rings tour.

Later!

TGT