After completing our hike, and Tyler having completed his bungy experience, we packed back into the car and headed to the town of Wanaka. It was a beautiful drive through the snowy mountains, to this little bustling town wedged in between with the large Lake Wanaka by its side. After heading to the grocery store for a few more snacks and dinner, we headed to a picnic area down by the lake to enjoy our meal with the sunset. We wrapped ourselves in blankets and sat around the table playing Cards Against Humanity, such a great time!
The mountains across the lake
The sun setting behind the mountains
The rest of the picnic area
After finishing dinner, and with the cue of the lack on sunlight, we decided to pack up and find another camping area to spend the night. We found a nice area up on a hill with a beautiful view of the night sky, where I was finally able to get my camera to take semi-decent pictures of the stars and milky way!
A view of the stars
Even the milky way shows up
After another rough night's sleep in the car, we awoke early again and made our way further up the west coast toward Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier. Our first stop was a lookout point where we watched the sunrise, and ate some breakfast before heading onto the rest of our journey. Driving through the rainforests and fog of the West Coast brought us to Fox Glacier, located in the Westland Tai Poutini National Park.
Watching the sunrise over the ocean
Beautiful colors in the clouds
On the way to view the glacier
Fox Glacier
Walking through the forest
After thoroughly exploring the area around Fox Glacier, we moved onto Franz Josef Glacier. Both glaciers have experienced great reductions in their overall size, so seeing what was left of these natural wonders was a must!
Franz Josef Glacier Trail
Franz Josef Glacier
They have helicopter tours of the glacier
I trusted Molly with my camera...tsk tsk
Standing between two of the waterfalls
After viewing the glaciers, we made our way back down the West Coast in order to start our trek back over to the Otago region. Our first stop on our way back down was Fantail Falls, which drops into the Haast River. Much to my surprise, we were met with snow here despite the beautiful day we had at the glaciers! We also made a stop at Lake Moeraki in a final attempt to see the Fiordland Crested Penguins, but no luck there. It was still a beautiful sight to see. Our last stop on the West Coast was Tauparikaka Marine Reserve, or really, a protected beach area. It was such a nice day out, being on the beach really topped it off!
The Haast River
Fantail Falls
Lake Moeraki
A fish in the shallows in the lake
The Marine Reserve
Study Abroad 2016!
A curious fantail that danced around me on the track
We ended the leg of a trip making our way back to the Otago area, stopping at an outlook of Lake Hawea to eat dinner and watch the sunset. It was a long day! But I was glad to see so much of the South Island.
The sunset over Lake Hawea
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