The West Coast

The past few days have been wonderful. Except a few glitches.

In Queenstown I broke out in a crazy rash of hives all over my body. I’m just starting to get over it, but can’t figure out what caused it. If any of you out there know a good thing to relieve the itching and burning, advice would be much appreciated.

After we left Queenstown, we decided to drive to Mt. Cook for a look-see then continue on around the mountain to Franz Josef, site of a fantastic glacier. After the 4-hour drive through beautiful countryside, we ended up at the helicopter center for Mt. Cook and found out we had to go a completely opposite route to get to Franz Josef. With no other way, and pre-booked accommodations, we were forced to drive about 8 hours back through Queenstown to the West Coast to get to Franz Josef. All we could do was laugh and enjoy the drive. Once we got near the coast though, we were completely blown away by the mountains, lakes, trees, and coastal views we got. A worthy detour it was, indeed.

We spent a lot of time in Franz Josef relaxing and cooking some yummy food at the hostel. We left there yesterday morning for a four hour drive north to Punakaiki after we realized we’d left our Jackets at Franz Josef. And at the same time, I realized I’d left my cell phone charger cable in Queenstown. Apparently I am in a pattern of leaving stuff everywhere.

Good news is the beach here is gorgeous, and we’re still having a fabulous time. Go check out the beautiful pictures of our drive from Queenstown to Franz Josef

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