Franz Josef

Today we traded the coastal roads for the lush, deep greens of the West Coast rainforest. Rather than heading for the heights, we took a beautiful walk through the ancient forest that surrounds the Franz Josef Glacier valley.

There is something incredibly peaceful about the New Zealand bush—the giant ferns, the moss-covered trees, and the sound of hidden rivers everywhere you turn. As we emerged from the forest canopy, we were treated to those iconic views of the glacier’s terminal face peeking through the mountain peaks.  To the Māori Franz Josef is known as Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere (The Frozen Tears of the Avalanche Girl), the glacier is tied to a powerful Māori legend about a woman whose tears for her fallen lover were frozen by the gods to create the glacier.

It was the perfect way to stretch our legs and soak in the "Wild West" atmosphere of the South Island. We definitely earned our dinner tonight!

These are Blue Penguins - they are about a foot tall and are the world's smallest penguin.  We saw them at the West Coast Wildlife Centre in Franz Josef.  They are found along the coastlines of New Zealand and Australia.