So, we meet again old foe

That's right, I've returned to Franz Josef, home of my arch-enemy, the glacier. But first, better bring you up to speed with how I got here - caught the Tranzalpine across from Christchurch last Monday. It was a great trip - my experience was probably a bit different to most people as I spent the majority of the trip in the open-air observation car. So while everyone else enjoyed a sedate, leisurely trip, mine was a noisy, windy, cold, smoky test of endurance. Luckily after a while you become sufficiently numb that the cold doesn't bother you too much anymore, so you just grimly hang on and watch the scenery rush by. It's all very nice inside but the windows are too shiny to take decent photos (mind you they don't turn out too great if your hands are shaking every time you take them out of your pockets), and you kind of miss out on a lot of the atmosphere (which is probably the point. Because IT'S COLD). I did venture back inside for a bit (well, they make you while they go through the longest tunnel anyway) and I was at least sensible enough to wait until my circulation had resumed before going back outside (you can tell because your head stops tingling).

Anyway, spent the next few days in Greymouth, which was basically cold and wet. Fortunately, it doesn't so much rain there as constantly drip, so as long as you're all Gore-Tex'd up, you usually donÕt even notice it. Was enough to deter me from much sightseeing though so apart from a bit of aimless wandering I hung around the hostel and caught up on some work.

Started on the Magic bus tour Thursday, travelling down the west coast through Hokitika where I had a quick wander down to the beach. I love the beaches here on the west coast. I just think it's great that you can walk along these wild, driftwood-strewn stretches of sand with the surf pounding on one side, while on your other side you have the snow-capped Alps. I tell that to just about everyone I meet but I still love it.



Afterwards we continued on down to Franz Josef, who, as I mentioned, I have some unpleasant history with. It's ironic but as soon as I arrived on the west coast my knee (the one which I hit on the glacier last time I was here, and which had hardly bothered me in a year) started aching again. I think it knew it was drawing near to the site of it's maiming. I'm not doing another glacier walk this time (oh no, not falling into that trap again) but I'll probably wander some of the trails around here, walk down the valley to the terminal face and throw rocks at it or something. As long as it doesn't look like it's advancing too quickly that is.

Another glacier's next on the list (still got one good knee left after all), so it'll be down to Fox on Sunday, then on to Haast. Must go now, it's snowing in the hills above the village so it's a wee bit chilly - been sitting still too long and can't feel my hands again.