Finally we have had another much needed day of relative relaxation. We had another leisurely start with everyone sleeping in and getting up late.

We waited until some of the cloud had cleared. Last night it had come in so much that we couldn’t actually see any of the surrounding mountains, just the closest forests and first thing this morning, the vista was similar. Once the sun had ventured out (very timidly) the clouds moved back up above the tops of the mountains and we ventured out too.

The drive to fox Glacier was a quick 10 minutes and the walk was much easier than the one to Franz Josef. Shorter with only one big incline at the end. We also got much closer to the glacier terminal – 450 metres compared with 750 metres from Franz Josef. I didn’t think the glacier itself was quite as majestic as it didn’t dominate the landscape as much. However, it was still quite impressive, with an ice cave in the terminal face. We took the walk back in two stages, stopping about halfway to watch some kayakers tackle the white water rapids. They had very short sit-in kayaks and were obviously very experienced. And to top it all off there were only had a few drops of rain until the car drive home.  

After some lunch back at the accommodation, we put on our wet weather gear for a walk into town as it hadn’t stopped raining. Liam wanted to check out the souvenir store but that was really all there was to see. The village comprises several places to stay, and others to eat at, a couple of buildings for the tour companies and that’s about it. There is only one street off the main road and I guess that’s where the locals live. I think it would be hard to live in a town purely there for tourism.

Given the ongoing rain and everyone’s need for a bit of chill time, we are taking it easy for the rest of the day. Resting, reading, watching TV.