West Coast​
Having grandparents in town was a great opportunity to take the big kids down the iconic West Coast. It was a bit of a drive and we wanted to do some more adventurous activities, so Will got to stay home and keep his Mimi and Papa entertained.
Our first adventure at the appropriately named Red Barn Cafe was a highlight for the kids. You'd think they had never seen a pack of hungry ducks with a thirst for old bread before.
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Our next stop was Buller Gorge with the longest swing bridge in New Zealand. Meredith was not a fan of walking across the bridge but she had no problem riding the flying fox back!
Further south lies two accessible glaciers, Fox and Franz Joseph. Due to global warming, these glaciers have retreated hundreds of meters but are still accessible to view at the end of a short hike. You can also take a helicopter to the top of them but the weather did not cooperate with our plans to do this.
Glaciers appear blue because as the ice becomes more compact with fewer air bubbles, it absorbs red and yellow wavelengths and reflects blue ones.
Near Fox Glacier, lies Lake Matheson or "mirror lake", which on a sunny day reflects Mount Cook and Mount Matheson. Unfortunately, the weather also did not cooperate with our hike around the lake.
Nailed it!
Can you spot NZ's tallest mountain? Neither could we.
Further down the West Coast is the town of Punakaiki and the Pancake Rocks. These limestone rocks have been eroded by the sea over the last 30 million years to form these distinctive layers and verticle blowholes.
Glacier hiking in shorts = Why We Love NZ!
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