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Sign ------------------ Bridge [Cars Trains one Way] ----------- Motel @ Franz Josef
Greymouth to Franz Josef, NZ 11/1/08
We drove up to Punakaiki known for its pancake rocks and 30 foot blowholes. Our weather had made a change and we had severe weather warnings. It rained hard and we decided not to walk out to the shore and blowholes. The large amounts of rainfall created waterfalls flowing out of the rocky cliffs. We came around a turn and I saw a beautiful large waterfall about 40 feet high and 6 feet wide. As we got nearer, we wondered “ Is that water fall actually falling on the road”. It was!
We then headed south towards Franz Josef Glacier. Nowhere in the world outside the arctic region will you find glaciers just 1,000 feet above sea level and just 7 ½ miles from the sea. We drove through 12 miles of Rain Forest Preserve area. The rainforest was the most beautiful that I have seen. Punga fern grew out of the cliffs. The tree ferns towered above us. What an unexpected sight it was. The rainforest has Totara, Rimu, Rata, and Kmahi trees. The bellbird and Kea a mountain parrot are in the glacier while the Thrush, Fantail, Blackbird and Wax Eye are in the rainforest.
In Franz Josef we learned that the one lane bridges were created about 10 years ago when they did not expect increased traffic. The car/train bridge was created because the train line is not too busy. This area has traditionally been one of isolation. There has been a 50% increase of visitors since 1996.
We had dinner at the Alice May Pub. A very nice restaurant filled with antiques. A history included in the menu tells the story of Alice May a very religious young woman. In the early 1900s she killed her lover when he refused to marry her. She was sent to prison and served 6 years before the New Zealand people petitioned for her release. She was pardoned and married and had 10 children. Her grandchildren opened this pub in her memory.
We drove up to Punakaiki known for its pancake rocks and 30 foot blowholes. Our weather had made a change and we had severe weather warnings. It rained hard and we decided not to walk out to the shore and blowholes. The large amounts of rainfall created waterfalls flowing out of the rocky cliffs. We came around a turn and I saw a beautiful large waterfall about 40 feet high and 6 feet wide. As we got nearer, we wondered “ Is that water fall actually falling on the road”. It was!
We then headed south towards Franz Josef Glacier. Nowhere in the world outside the arctic region will you find glaciers just 1,000 feet above sea level and just 7 ½ miles from the sea. We drove through 12 miles of Rain Forest Preserve area. The rainforest was the most beautiful that I have seen. Punga fern grew out of the cliffs. The tree ferns towered above us. What an unexpected sight it was. The rainforest has Totara, Rimu, Rata, and Kmahi trees. The bellbird and Kea a mountain parrot are in the glacier while the Thrush, Fantail, Blackbird and Wax Eye are in the rainforest.
In Franz Josef we learned that the one lane bridges were created about 10 years ago when they did not expect increased traffic. The car/train bridge was created because the train line is not too busy. This area has traditionally been one of isolation. There has been a 50% increase of visitors since 1996.
We had dinner at the Alice May Pub. A very nice restaurant filled with antiques. A history included in the menu tells the story of Alice May a very religious young woman. In the early 1900s she killed her lover when he refused to marry her. She was sent to prison and served 6 years before the New Zealand people petitioned for her release. She was pardoned and married and had 10 children. Her grandchildren opened this pub in her memory.
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