Day 18: Hokitika to Franz Josef: Closer to Glaciers

After a bit of sleeping in to make up for some lost sleep hours, we had a leisurely departure from the hotel. Frans Josef, our next stop, is a small town with few amenities, so we hit up the grocery store and gas station before leaving town.

The drive was beautiful but involved lots of twists and turns. We switched drivers halfway through the 1.5 hour drive, and played a little soccer on a rugby field next to the public bathrooms.

We arrived at our accommodation, the Chateau Backpackers and Motel, which was basic but was outfitted well for our family. The kids were pretty zoned out once we got to there, so they chilled in their beds reading while I walked to town.

Town was very small, as we expected, with nearly all of the shops selling helicopter tours and only a couple restaurants, one souvenir shop, and another Kiwi Centre (similar to what we visited in Hokitika).

Knowing the night sleep could be even worse if we don’t get some sort of exercise, we headed out for a 2.1 mile hike near the glacier to Peter’s Pool. It was exactly what we needed.

We gave the kids the full hostel experience tonight, eating Ramen for dinner. This is a really cool place with tons of little shared amenities. After dinner, the boys found the pool table and ended the night playing a game there.