odohertyelaine

Leaving Tipperary, Miriam and I continue our journey to Kilkenny. We head to Goresbridge which is a pretty little village and thankfully the local Spar has a toilet we can use!! We walk a part of the Barrow Way, which is a lengthy walk along the river. We cross the bridge and the sun is out for the walk along the riverside.

We do a 5km stretch as far as Ballyteigelea

We’re well prepared with leftovers so have a picnic by the bridge and then carry on toward the city.

Going through Gowran we stop for a look at St Mary’s church

St Mary’s was built in the late 13th century dedicated to our lady.

The sky threatens rain so we don’t have long before a shower comes. I run to the car while Miriam saunters along delighted with another excuse to wear her cape!!

We’re staying at Fanad house which is an ideal location for exploring Kilkenny. It’s a few minutes walk along the side of the castle grounds to the main parade and the room is very nice for a reasonable price. I would definitely recommend it for future visits.

We have a delicious meal at Aroi, an Asian fusion restaurant on Friary street.

As we have a window seat we notice Ryan’s bar across the street. It looks like a proper pub that doesn’t serve food (one of my pet peeves is going to a pub for a drink and everyone is eating or there is just a stench of food when you just want a drink.. so annoying) ok rant over, Ryan’s is a great spot – it usually has music but of course that’s not allowed yet. We get a couple of gin and tonics and it’s nice to feel like we’re “out out”. We get chatting to Arthur who runs the bar, meet an interesting mannequin and even get our photo taken for the Facebook page!

Next morning we decide to go for a walk before breakfast. We need to build up our appetites so we wander around the castle grounds.

Back at Fanad House the full Irish is outstanding…

We have some additional peeps joining us for our journey today. Miriam’s sister Grace and her youngest daughter Emma have been on their holidays in Kilkenny for the past week and are joining us for the day as we head toward Wexford… but there are some adventures to be had ahead of that. We load up the car (looks like they were away for a month!!!) and off we go…..

_{I insist on pulling over to check out this random square tower / castle that is clearly very old and part of someone’s house and garden.}

Our first official stop is Kilfane Glen and Waterfall. We walk around the beautiful gardens which were untouched for 200 years and are an example of a romantic era garden.

There’s even a little cottage orné that has been restored and as we come upon it from the woodland walk it feels like it could be the home of Hansel & Gretel!

Time to move on and we head for Duiske abbey which is in Graiguenamanagh or as I like to call it Gu-gen-a-bar-ah!! As we approach the town we notice a statue of a monk and then we see another one further into the town and then another as we leave (unwittingly having passed the abbey). Grace as quick as lightening is onto the google and finds out there are actually 12 statues of the monks and they are positioned all around the village. We decide there and then we will find them all…. first we need to turn around and go back into town!!

Monk No.1

We park the car and head back up the road to check out our first monk. He appears to be a baker 👨‍🍳

Monk No.2

We quickly get to monk no.2 on our way to the centre of town.

So here’s the story with the monks : In 1204 a group of twelve monks made their way along the river Barrow (where Miriam and I walked yesterday) and they established Duiske abbey. A number of years back local Tidy Towns committee commissioned 12 life size granite statues of the monks depicting them working in the community and placed them all around the town. They hope it will bring tourists and encourage people to learn about the heritage of the town. It has certainly worked on us.

Monk No.3

Monk No.4

We’re a few monks in so we decide it’s lunchtime or at least coffee & tea and maybe cake time. We sit down outside the Duiske cafe and are looking across at this magnificent display of flower baskets. On first look the cafe doesn’t look up to much but we were so delightfully surprised. The lady who served us was extremely pleasant and helpful and everything we ordered was tasty and very inexpensive.

After the spot of sustenance we head to see what we actually came to Graiguenamanagh for – Duiske Abbey. Another highlight of Irelands ancient east, Duiske abbey was founded in 1204 by William Marshal [this guy Marshall is a key figure who built most of the castles you see today including Kilkenny that we just visited this morning – this is all pieced together later when we get to Ferns] and is one of the largest Cistercian buildings fully standing today. Unfortunately it wasn’t open when we were there but we walked around it and checked out the graveyard which had some high crosses.

Sure we’re too busy to spend any more time here, we have monks to find… we decide to enlist the help of some locals as we’re running out of monks in town and need to figure out where the rest are… our next fella is outside the bank and we decide we’ll jazz up the selfies… this one, as you can see we decided to opt for hoods up with a cap for the monk!

Monk No.5

Monk No.6

Having interrupted some local ladies sitting outside having a coffee, I get invaluable information as to the whereabouts of the remaining monks… it’s hard to keep track of them all though. They did tell us that there’s one up the hill at the back of the abbey on the way to the Silaire wood loop walk… we are on it…. and 20 minutes later we are still walking… and enjoying a beautiful view back down to the town.

Grace has forged ahead at speed and we’re starting to worry that we’ll have to retrace our steps and get the car when she shouts that she spots a monk up ahead…

Delighted with ourselves we continue the loop walk that takes us down to the river where we get chatting to a couple of men who tell us there is another one further along the water on this side and one more on the other, say no more lads, we’re on it…

Monk No.7

We spot monk no.7 from across the river so we take a snap… alas no selfie it’s too far and we still have 5 monks to find…

Monk No.8

The sunshine has come out again and we continue a delightful walk along the river. Emma and I decide to run ahead in the hope of finding our next monk and just around a slight bend we spot him. We realise he probably doesn’t know there’s a pandemic and decide he should be wearing a mask.

There are beautiful houses and gardens along the route, this one in particular

And look what else we find… a castle – Tinnahinch Castle from 1620 (seriously they’re everywhere!!)

Monk No.9

It’s getting harder to find the remaining monks. We’ve been told they are on each of the roads leading into the village so we decide to head for the car, via an ice cream shop!

Monk No.10

The excitement is fierce as we drive one of the roads (who knows which one at this point) and find our next monk

Monk No.11

The last two are the hardest to find but after driving in and out multiple main roads we spot this fella collecting the sheaves

Monk No.12

He was the toughest to find but we wouldn’t give up… we just followed our noses and low and behold before our eyes he appeared in front of us. The excitement is fierce and there’s a fair bit of whooping from the car! We’re delighted with ourselves and the extra effort was worth it… he definitely deserved a big kiss!!

Much later than anticipated we leave this cute little village and head for Wexford, a relaxing evening of Thai food, wine, chat and craic lies ahead.

Next morning after a bit of a lie in, we visit the refurbished Ballycarney post office. It was a post office from 1891 and a local man Sean Lacey has done a fabulous job restoring it.

Next we head to the Ballycadden Windfarm walk which provides some beautiful views of the countryside

Our weeks holiday ends with a Sunday roast courtesy of Miriam’s Mam and it is delicious. She’s definitely spoiling us as she’s made my favourite apple and blackberry crumble with fresh cream. What a way to finish the week

We head from Cashel to Moyaliffe house which will be home for the next three nights. We are in the recently renovated maids quarters which is very apt for Miriam and I 🤪. The house sits on twelve acres and is quite remote (although only 20 minutes from Thurles) so we stock up in Aldi en route. Our little apartment has a kitchen, living room and bedroom and is gorgeous.

The house is owned by Lorna (Irish) and Paul (Australian) who moved back from a sheep farm in New South Wales a few years back (with their 5 dogs!) and they’ve been renovating the house and rebuilding the walled garden ever since. They’ve done a great job so far and have been keen to keep the history of the place alive. Lorna is very welcoming and as we unload the car and get settled in, she tells us that the previous visitors had a bat get into the bedroom last week. We reckon they must have had the windows wide open because of the recent heatwave. We don’t intend to be that silly…..

Once we get settled I proceed to burn a pizza in the new oven and we eat it with some salad and a bottle of red wine and plan tomorrow’s hike.

Next morning we drive about half an hour to the Glen of Aherlow and do the 9km Millenium Stone Loop walk. The trail (which is very well signposted) starts at the Christ the King statue where there are beautiful views of the Glen.

It’s a forest trail loop which goes across the Slevenamuck ridge (Slievenamuck stands for hill of the pigs!) and at a couple of points there are some beautiful views of the glen.

When we finish the hike we have a delicious picnic with our blaas from Waterford and our fancy milk jug looking out at the lovely views….

On the way home we visit Athassal priory (or abbey) which is close to the village of Golden. Siri has been brilliant with the google map directions so far but she lets us down here. We can see the ruins but can’t figure out how to get to them other than passing through someone’s land and possibly having to navigate a river! We decide to head into Golden and sure enough the priory is signposted from there.

We have to climb a turnstile and pass through a field of cows to get to it…

It’s worth it though. The abbey was founded around 1200 and sits on the banks of the river Suir. It’s Augustinian, dedicated to St. Edmund and at one point housed 2,000 people. It was one of the largest medieval priories to be found in Ireland. There are some interesting statues and I love the “windows”.

We say goodbye to the guardians of the priory and head back to our maids quarters

Back at Moyliffe house Miriam cooks a beautiful dinner (ok she puts a chicken kiev and spuds in the oven but she does also prepare some carrots and peas)! It’s gorgeous.

Miriam has ensured the windows are closed and we are chilling out with some wine after our delicious dinner when the loudest smoke alarm I have ever heard goes off. We definitely haven’t done anything to set it off and although Miriam manages to stop it for a while, the lady of the house calls the electrician to check it out… wouldn’t want that happening in the middle of the night. We decide to go for an evening stroll around the grounds

There’s a carriage from 1834 and we feel very Bridgerton as we climb up and check it out

Next morning we check out the tennis courts…. Miriam may have found a new sport 🎾

The weather forecast is not so good today so we haven’t planned a big hike just some “local” exploring.

The present round towers were built in 1495 and it was owned by the Butlers before being confiscated by Henry VIII in the 16th century. We do the tour and get to meet the owner Cyril Cullen. He is quite the character and tells us lots of stories about the treasures he has accumulated throughout his very interesting life [sidebar: I think he should be on the Tommy Tiernan show!].

There are many photos with famous people and his 4 daughters The Cullen Sisters are harpists who have been on the Late Late and performed at many highbrow events. Cyril himself is a knitwear and porcelain designer and we check out his studio and buy a Christmas ornament. If you’re ever in this neck of the woods I fully recommend checking out Farney, it’s a castle tour like no other.

Next we head to Upperchurch which has a bog walk and not much else….. apparently there’s a dolmen around here somewhere but after walking around in the rain with no sign of it we give up and decide to check out Thurles. The weather has definitely turned on us although silver living it gives Miriam a chance to wear her new cape 😀

Thurles is a wash out, there’s nothing much in it other than a Tesco where we stock up for tonight’s dinner. On the way home we turn off when we see a sign for a Ballinahow castle. It doesn’t disappoint.

Back at the casa, Miriam insists I get started on the blog so after another handy dinner we relax on the sofa with yes you’ve guessed it, a glass of wine! I love traveling around the country with my favourite wines in the back of the car, it’s the way to go!

I’m a few pages in, fairly engrossed in what I’m doing when I see something out of the corner of my eye (have I mentioned my peripheral vision is excellent!!) so I jump up screaming. It’s a bat swooshing overhead and it takes a while for Miriam to see it so she has no idea what I’m screaming at. I’m jumping around like a maniac and Miriam spots it and although she doesn’t scream she does let a very cross roar at me to STOP SCREAMING! She tells me to go into the bedroom and shut the door which I’m happy to do and leave her to try entice the bat out the window…

After turning off all the lights I can hear her trying to coax the bat to fly outside. She goes between softly telling the “poor little fella, come on, out you go” to “stupid bat, there’s the window, come on, get out”. I go toward the door and open it slightly to check on her but the bat flies directly toward me.. arghhhh, I bang the door and decide I won’t be doing that again. I have my phone but there’s no cell service so I can’t ring the hosts. There’s WiFi so I message them on the Airbnb app (which seems futile but maybe they’ll see it or maybe they’ve heard some of the screaming). At least ten minutes have passed and I decide I need to go to the loo. Luckily there’s an en-suite so I use that. Just as I’m about to dry my hands there’s a swoosh and to my horror there’s another bat in the bathroom … cue the scream….arghhhhhhhh. I manage to keep him trapped and bang the bathroom door.

By now Miriam has trapped the one in the living room behind a blanket (a beautiful Avoca blanket no less) which she’s holding up, at full stretch against the wall. She tells me it’s safe to come in as I need to go through to get outside and alert out hosts so maybe they can help us. I head downstairs and out into the dark (do you know I’m afraid of the dark!) so I’m being very brave and next thing a dog barking furiously runs at me… arghhh… more screaming and door banging. Miriam is shouting from upstairs wondering what’s going on and I’m trapped yet again, this time by the dingo outside … well ok he wasn’t a dingo but he might as well have been!

Eventually after banging on their door, Lorna arrives to help. She explains she did hear noise but thought we were laughing at a movie!! Miriam is still arms stretched keeping the bat in the dark under the blanket and Lorna suggests she put on gloves so she can grab him …. seriously! I seriously hand her a pair of yellow marigolds and remove myself from the situation but luckily her husband has arrived with a net and they manage to get the bat out the window. A similar approach with the net sees the tiny bat unravel half of the toilet roll but eventually be removed from the bathroom. I’m not the better of that. Poor Miriam, so brave 😀😀

Bright eyed and ready for more adventures it’s time to bid adieu to Moyaliffe. It’s been quite an eventful stay and we would do it again in a heartbeat. It’s a fabulous place, just keep the bats out!! Lorna and Paul dig us a few spuds and give us some homegrown tomatoes and we set off as we have more ancient east treasures to uncover.. first Holy Cross abbey

The holiest of relics resides in the abbey – a relic (i.e. a splinter of wood) of the cross of Jesus Christ. Presented to the abbey in 1110 by the then Pope it was stolen in 2011 by some unknown thieves but retrieved by Gardai in 2012 and is now back on display! [sidebar: if you google relics of the true cross you’ll be surprised how many there are around the world, or maybe not…]

Onwards we go to find Kilcooley Abbey which is within the grounds of the Kilcooley estate where the residents live in a massive Georgian house and enjoy their garden of 1,000 acres! So this is kind of in their back garden….

The entrance to the estate is a long avenue and we are the only people around. We pass an interesting pyramid monument which I feel Robert Langdon would love!

That’s our Tipperary adventure done, we’ve ticked a lot of places off the list and we’re moving on to Kilkenny. Slán for now

After the August bank holiday weekend in Tramore (where plenty of pints were had as the pubs are now open), I set off with Miriam to explore more of county Waterford and follow some of “Ireland’s Ancient East”. En route to Lismore we stop in Cappoquin to get blaas at the famous Barron’s bakery but unfortunately it’s closed. We will have to return …. [a blaa is a soft white roll introduced to Waterford in the 17th century; in 2013 it received protected geographical indication status so you can only call it a blaa if it was made in Waterford]

We continue to Lismore and are greeted with a fabulous view of the castle as we drive over the bridge. It really is a stunning site as you round the bend and see it appear…..

The castle dates from 1170 and has a lot of rich and interesting history. It’s current owner is the 12th Duke of Devonshire who goes between here and his other grand houses in England. Just like me, popping down to the holiday home in Waterford!!! 😀 It has been visited by many including JFK, Lucien Freud and Fred Astaire but no public visitors allowed as it continues to be the dukes private dwelling. It is however available to rent “on an exclusive hire basis” per the website. If anyone needs me to make up numbers for the large party group just let me know, I can make myself available!

The gardens are open to the public so we head there after a little sustenance at the Vault cafe, named as it houses the vault from the former bank. The large vault door which you can see behind the deli counter leads to the pantry. After tea and coffee and a homemade scone (sure you’d have to), we hit the gardens…

I’m leaving Franz Josef this morning and heading further south to a town called Wanaka. The famous Queenstown is just an hour drive further south but as I spent some time there in 2018 I decided Wanaka would be the next best place to explore. They kind of compete against each other and Wanaka definitely doesn’t have as many backpackers as Queenstown. I’m definitely heading for nicer weather and I stop at the first viewing point called Knights Point:

It’s about a four hour drive on these windy, regularly under construction roads, that I’m getting used to and there are lots of places to stop as I make my way through Mount Aspring National Park.

I pull off the road at Thunder Creek Falls, and walk the short pathway to a gushing waterfall.

The next point of interest is a sign for the “Blue pools”. It’s about a thirty minute hike to get there, involving a couple of rope bridge crossings. It’s really pretty although it’s essentially the river bed and not quite pools. Nice though, and popular for a quick cool down.

You gotta love these signs at all these bridges that, in fairness, do look like they could collapse at any minute.

I continue towards Lake Wanaka and the first view that appears is “the neck” of the lake. It’s so pretty driving toward it. It’s like driving into a billboard for a holiday advertisement.

I finally get to my destination. I’m staying at a resort that’s a few minutes drive to the downtown area but it’s really nice and nestled among some very picturesque hills.

I get checked in and then drive down to the lake to check out where I’ll be for the next three days. It really is a beautiful spot.

I eat at a place called Big Fig where you chose the size plate you want and then fill it with a choice of one meat, a carb, and veg or salads. It was great.

Next morning I hire a bike and I’m going to cycle around the east side of the lake to Lake Hawea. The temperature is a lot cooler at night and it’s still cool enough to need a sweatshirt first thing this morning (delightful sleeping weather mind you).

It’s hard not to keep stopping and taking photos as the view changes and becomes more beautiful from each progressing angle. True to form, I end up veering off the cycle path (they could do with a few more signs) and climbing this steep hill onto an outlet road. I chat to a few locals out for their morning walk and they set me straight and get me back on the path at Albert town. Climbing up and getting a little distance from the lake did give me another perspective of it though so all good!

Back on the trail, I’ve got to go over another rope bridge. I’m definitely walking the bike over this one.

I’m coming up to the second part of the trail which leaves lake Wanaka and goes along the River path to Lake Hawea.

I stop here for a few minutes as there’s a guy trying to get up on a surf board. I watch him make two attempts but he can only manage to paddle on the board. Just as I put away my camera and on his third attempt he stands on the board – it was very impressive.

I arrive at Lake Hawea, another very beautiful, massive expanse of water, roasting and ready for a rest before turning around and cycling the same path back.

Lunchtime first though – some fish and chips at the Hawea hotel.

The cycle path, (that I manage to stay on the whole way back btw), hugs the waters edge and is quite narrow in parts with danger signs at fairly regular intervals. The water is high as there’s been rain so I’m very cautious not to slide from the path or come off the bike on the mucky sections of the track.

Back in town I decide to pick up some provisions and eat in tonight. I grab dinner supplies at the New World supermarket and spot a wine shop for a gander. The guy in the shop gives me a taste of a Chardonnay from Hawkes Bay and it’s really good. When I come back to buy it, after grabbing the other supplies, he gives me a chilled one from the fridge and his tasting bottle, which has about a glass in it – so nice 🍷.

Next morning after a lovely sleep under the covers (it’s such a treat when in the Southern Hemisphere) I enjoy the views while taking a walk to the lake.

Doesn’t this row of properties look almost like a film set it’s so perfect:

All along the lake there are red tiles with historic events listed by year. The path runs the whole length of the lakefront from where I arrive to downtown so I take a look and end up spending best part of an hour reading them all.

It’s called the “Lakefront Millennium Tile Path” and it starts at the year 1AD and goes to the year 2000.

As I’m walking I’m thinking about significant dates in history and I wonder if they’ll have the potato famine when I get to 1845….

I walk around the shopping area and sit at the lake checking out the ducks passing by.

As I’m walking back to the hotel I see a sign for Florences Foodstore and Cafe which I decide to check out for lunch. It’s got a nice outside seating area and that lovely backdrop of mountains. I do little else for the rest of the day other than lounge by the pool and watch the Oscars. [I must go to see Parasite]

Next morning it’s time to head to the airport for my flight back to Sydney. It’s not a long drive, only about an hour and it’s along another twisting road that runs through the Cardrona valley and Crown Mountain range. It is quite spectacular.

View looking down to Queenstown in the distance.

As I have time to spare, I take the turnoff for Arrowtown as I’ve read it’s a cute historic town. I walk around the couple of main streets looking at the buildings and it is a cute little detour.

Arriving at the airport I remember those beautiful Remarkable mountains

And I’m reminded how far away from home I am – 18,973km – the furtherest on the board.

Bye Bye New Zealand, until next time….

It’s takes over three hours to drive from the pancake rocks (which by the way are part of Paparoa National Park) to Franz Josef. I really enjoy the drive and checking out the scenery. When I arrive it’s still nice and bright and it’s a sunny clear evening. There are just two streets in Franz Josef, Highway 6 which I came in on and Cron Street. This is Cron Street at around 8pm!

I’m staying at the “Scenic Franz Josef” hotel which is in the middle of the two roads so you can walk out of the hotel onto either one.

I take a walk along Cron Street and end up at Monsoon bar and have a local cider called Monteith – it’s the best cider I’ve ever had…. no joking. It looks like fizzy water!

Next morning I’m supposed to be taking a helicopter to the glacier and doing a three hour hike up there but the cloud has set in so I’m not feeling optimistic. Sure enough when I arrive the sign says all Heli-hikes have been cancelled. Disappointing but that’s how it rolls here. No point going up there if you can’t see anything and certainly not if there’s a slight chance of it being dangerous. [side note: Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter just a matter of days ago]. So instead I do some of the local hikes. I head to “Peters pools” which I’m told has a great reflection of the glacier on a calm sunny day. Looking at the proximity of the glacier, even behind those clouds I don’t think there’s been a reflection in that pool since about 1920! The glacier has receded significantly.

Beyond the pool the rest of the hike is closed off

So I set off on another walk called “Sentinel rock”. It’s brightening up and there’s some pretty waterfalls but again the hike is closed beyond a certain point.

Lastly I walk toward the Glacier in the hope the cloud might clear and I might get a view. Unfortunately the cloud is back and it’s brought rain so it’s not happening.

And again I can’t go any further. You used be able to walk along where the water and rocks are behind but it’s been closed off for months as it’s flooded multiple times and is just too dangerous to remain open. Ah well.

If I zoom in you can see a little bit of glacier but that’s as good as it gets.

Another walk brings me through some delightful forest but the rain comes and goes and again the clouds are blocking the view.

It doesn’t feel like there’s much point in trying more walks so I go to the West Coast Wild Life Centre to catch a glimpse of New Zealand’s rarest kiwi – the Rowi kiwi. I didn’t know much about this bird but I find out there are 5 different types, they’re nocturnal and they’re flightless (well I did know that). The wildlife centre is small but I really like it because I feel like I have time to read everything and take it all in. There’s no overload of information, it’s delightful! There’s just one kiwi in the nocturnal house when I visit and her name is Tayejana and she’s 4 months old. I hear rustling around and once my eyes adjust to the dark I spot her roaming about eating and stretching. Her long skinny beak is the easiest bit to spot in the dark. No photos allowed but I did manage to find her doppelgänger thanks to the joys of the internet.

There is also a Tuatara exhibit. Tuataras are lizard like and believed to have first appeared on earth 200 million years ago. They aren’t actually part of the lizard family but the only remaining of a family long extinct. There are six of them in the exhibit and I manage to see five. Apparently they are the only species that have a third eye. It’s fascinating to look for them as they’re so camouflaged and they stay still for ages.

After spending quite a while at the wild life centre chatting to the guide about the kiwis, I head for a late lunch. I decide to try the whitebait as it’s a bit of a speciality around here. They cook it with eggs like an omelette and it was really nice, served with a great salad and garlic bread.

I spend the evening watching the cloud clear from the mountains. The view from my balcony is terrific.

Finally there’s a glimpse of a glacier:

Next morning the sky is clear and I’m excited for my heli-hike. I can hear helicopters in the air and just look at that clear blue sky:

I layer up and head toward the base with a brief detour to call in and see Tayejana. She’s obviously had a good nights sleep with the lights on so she thinks it’s daytime and now she’s running up and down in the dark. A quick peak at the tuataras while I’m there too. This fella was a lot more active this morning.

When I reach the base It’s not good news. Although conditions are good, they’re only sending up scenic flights. The hike trail on the ice has been washed away and there are guides up there now trying to reinstate it. I need to come back at 3pm. I’m afraid the clouds will roll in again but surprisingly the girl behind the counter says “no way, look at that day, you’ll be all set for 3pm”. I have a chat at the info centre and the girl recommends I head to Fox Glacier where I’m bound to see some good stuff.

Ehhhh…. wrong! She explains that up to about a year ago you used to be able to drive quite close to Fox but the road has been closed. However you can still get a decent view. This is the view I got:

Her next recommendation was to go to Matheson Lake. This is supposed to frame an amazing view of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook but look… it’s more cloud, I can’t believe I left a beautiful sunny Franz Josef and came to this!

I continue on in the hope of it clearing and do the loop walk around the lake. It’s a lovely 1.5 hour walk and I reckon when the sun is shining and the sky is clear it’s magnificent. Still nice today just not so stunning.

I really should know better, but forever the optimist, I head to Peak Viewpoint where I’m told I should get a great view of Fox glacier. Worth a try….. just in case. As I turn off the main road following the directions to the view point I’m on an unpaved gravel road. All I keep thinking is don’t get a puncture as I didn’t pay extra for the roadside assistance. Alas not worth the trip…..

I reckon it’s time to be getting back to sunnier skies so I can get ready for my Heli-hike. Driving back into Franz Josef I’m not loving the look of the sky…

I go back to the hotel to layer up before heading to the base but unfortunately it’s bad news again. Yep, the hike path is ready but the weather has turned and everything is cancelled again. 😩 I get rescheduled one more time for tomorrow morning but I don’t hold out much hope as the weather app says rain is due. I do another walk toward the Tatare tunnels but again it’s closed beyond a certain point and at this stage I’m getting a bit disheartened.

I’m so glad I’m in a nice hotel with a good view. I have a bit of downtime and then go to Alice Mays for my final dinner. The restaurant is famous for its patron Alice who was called a man slayer. When I read about her I find out she only killed one man, her husband, and she shot him – hardly worthy of the title “man slayer”. The place gets great reviews and it’s packed. I have to wait at the bar until a table is ready. And then …. well it’s an average meal…. nothing to write home about (but apparently blog worthy!!). It seems today just wasn’t my day! I’m ready for it to be tomorrow!

I wake up. It’s my last morning. I’ve one last shot at this Heli-hike. I open the curtains. It’s kinda sunny. I can hear helicopters. I get excited. I get out of the shower. It’s cloudy. I’m pessimistic. I go for breakfast. It’s sunny again. I layer up, get myself ready and head to the base…….

I’m outa here.