Another stunning drive stopping by the unusual ‘Pancake Rocks’ of Punakaiki (layers of limestone formed over millions of years), then a short drive to Hokitika gorge which is a milky blue colour due to the glacier ‘rock flour’ deposits and melted ice which formed the river. Afterwards, we drive a few hours to Frans Josef where we camped the night in a fancy campsite geared up for skiers- although we didn’t see many resorts or much snow…

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The next morning, we travelled to the receding Frans Josef glacier, (aka Ka Roimata O Hine Hukatere to the Mauri). The glacier has receded massively in the last 110years which is an alarming picture of the effects of climate change. We walked along the moraine to reach the glacier past pretty waterfalls and its’ dwindling river.

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We drove on to a beautiful ‘mirror lake’ called Lake Matheson, named due to the possibility of seeing a true reflection of the Southern Alps in its still, dark waters. There was a breeze in the air when we visited so we witnessed a rippled reflection of the mountains in the water which was still lovely. We also stopped off to see Fox Glacier from a viewing point in the distance before driving on to south to Haast pass.