Day 5: Drive to Franz Josef Glacier
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After
breakfast at The Dairy and bidding our farewell to
the hosts, we headed out on our journey north to
Franz Josef Glacier. On advice
from Beatrice, the barkeep at Bardeax, we stopped at
Gibbston Valley Winery on the way. They had
adjoining cheese and gift shops so we bought cheese
and trinkets at both. At the wine tasting, we found
that Beatrice’s appraisal of the place was
consistent with our conclusion. We found several
wines that came close to being exceptional, one of
which was a 2013 Pinot Noir that they called
“Schoolhouse”. Lorna liked several of the whites: a
Pinot Gris, a Pinot Blanc, and a Rose made from
Pinot Noir. Our next
stop for the night was the Westwood Lodge Bed &
Breakfast in Franz Josef Glacier, 350 KM to the
north. The town is actually called Franz Josef
Glacier because the main tourist attraction there is
a Glacier. |
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Our drive north took
us through some interesting places. State Route
6 cut through Cromwell to the east, which we
could have taken but we had already been there
on yesterday’s wine tour. Instead, we took a
shortcut through the mountains on Highway 84,
which is the highest highway in New Zealand. |
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| At the peak of
elevation, we stopped for lunch in Albert Town for
meat pies at a local tavern. A feature of roadway architecture that we seldom see in the States but is very common here is the one-lane bridge. Signs preceding the bridge dictate who has the right of way. Those who have the right-of-way can go straight through without stopping; those who don’t must wait until the bridge is clear, even if there is a queue of cars on the right-of-way side waiting to cross. In actuality, it seems that local Kiwis and large busses always seem to have the right of way regardless of the signs. These bridges weren’t a problem for us. The hazards that we did encounter were foreign drivers who drove too fast and evidently had difficulty remembering which side of the road they were supposed to drive. After our mountain highway adventure, we finally reached the coast of the Tasman Sea. |
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After a
dinner of lamb shanks, pizza, and wine, Chris drove
us back to the Westwood. |