Day 241 Franz Jozef Glacier and Two Bumps in the Road 3 October 2012

First thing this rainy morning we set out to visit the terminal face of Franz Jozef Glacier.

   

As we were pulling out of our parking spot we slipped into a ditch! It was clear that we were stuck and four other tourists came to push. Pushing the campervan was like pushing a whale and we made no progress as the wheel spun in what can be described as wet cement.

Only after another tourist with a 4-wheel drive tow did we get out! After we had thanked everybody, our rescuer said “Welcome to New Zealand!”

We made a quick walk along the beach and came across a lone New Zealand fur seal and a dead little shark. We also walked around a kiwi sanctuary, but spotted none.

 

 

Back on the road we saw this sign and kept our eyes opened for a kiwi. We spotted one and pulled over on the grassy shoulder to take a picture.

 

After we took the photo it appeared we were stuck yet again! The grass was like a sponge and we had no traction but we flagged down a New Zealander in the rain and wind and we managed to push the whale of a campervan out of trouble! Again! For the record Martijn was behind the wheel both times!

After the rough day we were happy to arrive at our campervan site where we had  a hot shower, made dinner, watched tv, and updated the blog. Before we parked the campervan for the night we made a quick trip to the Glow Worm Dell where we saw what looked like little green stars- glow worms – too bad our camera is not sensitive enough to capture them.