Itinerary Help! Is there anything to do in Fox or Franz Josef on Christmas Day?

First, I would like to thank everyone who responded to my previous
message regarding travel to the South Island. I completed my
intinerary and then realized I had a little problem. Based on my
ideal intinerary, I was planning to be in Fox/Franz Josef on Christmas
day and would like to do a Glacier trip. Now I realize that all the
tour companies are closed on Christmas (no real surprise there.) I
was wondering if anyone could answer the following.

1) Is there any independent Glacier travel or hikes that don't rely on
tour companies that would be good for Christmas day? I hear Fox and
Franz Josef are very small, is it going to be very quiet on Christmas
day?

2) My other alternative would be to travel from Christchurch to the
Glaciers on Christmas day, stopping at Arthurs Pass for a hike. Then I
would need to rearrange my schedule and was wondering if only a 1/2
day in the glacier area is enough time (Dec 26) I could do a 1/2 day
Glacier tour in the morning and then travel on to Wanaka in the
afternoon.

3) Any other suggestions would be appreciated. My tickets are already
set, so I need to keep the arrival and departures fixed. We are
flying from Auckland to the South Island and I haven't booked that
ticket yet so I could change the arival city if necessary. Also, I'm
doing Auckland on the weekend because we have a friend there and
wanted to see her (otherwise she is at work.)

Thanks for all your advice.

Regards,

Mike



Date Intinerary Hotel
15-Dec Arrive late night in Auckland Auckland Airport
16-Dec Rotorua Rotorua
17-Dec Rotorua Rotorua
18-Dec Tongario Park Tongario
19-Dec Tongario Full Day Hike Tongario
20-Dec Tongario to Caves to Auckland Auckland
21-Dec Auckland/Hauraki Gulf Auckland
22-Dec Auckland to Christchurch Christchurch
23-Dec Banks Pennisula Christchurch
24-Dec Christchurch/Arthurs Pass/Glaciers Fox or Franz Josef
25-Dec Glacier Trip Fox or Franz Josef
26-Dec Glaciers to Wanaka Wanaka
27-Dec Free Day in Wanaka Wanaka
28-Dec Wanaka to Te Anau Te Anau
29-Dec Te Anau/Milford Sound/Queenstown Queenstown
30-Dec Free Day in Queenstown Queenstown
31-Dec Queenstown, Depart at 3pm Fly Home

Mike, you'll have to beware of BOTH Christmas Day and Boxing Day. My
recollection, from having been in NZ in Dec 1999/Jan 2000, was that they did
observe Boxing Day and everything was closed then, too.

With that said, depending on what you want to do for a "glacier hike", you
may be able to do it on your own. If you are happy to hike up to the
terminal moraine, you don't need a guide at all. The guides are for going
ONTO the glacier. We did that last year on Fox Glacier and it was quite
fun. I think I've heard from others on this group that Fox Glacier is
closed at the moment, but I am not positive.

Otherwise, you could try helicoptering in and doing a hike ON the glacier of
a certain number of hours. That's what I did in December 1999. It took, if
I recall properly, about 3-4 hours, between the orientation, the flight and
then the hike. Plus you get a fantastic aerial view of what you are going
to be on.

Good luck!

Donna

http://www.KirkandDonna.com/

"Mike" wrote in message
om...
First, I would like to thank everyone who responded to my previous
message regarding travel to the South Island. I completed my
intinerary and then realized I had a little problem. Based on my
ideal intinerary, I was planning to be in Fox/Franz Josef on Christmas
day and would like to do a Glacier trip. Now I realize that all the
tour companies are closed on Christmas (no real surprise there.) I
was wondering if anyone could answer the following.

1) Is there any independent Glacier travel or hikes that don't rely on
tour companies that would be good for Christmas day? I hear Fox and
Franz Josef are very small, is it going to be very quiet on Christmas
day?

2) My other alternative would be to travel from Christchurch to the
Glaciers on Christmas day, stopping at Arthurs Pass for a hike. Then I
would need to rearrange my schedule and was wondering if only a 1/2
day in the glacier area is enough time (Dec 26) I could do a 1/2 day
Glacier tour in the morning and then travel on to Wanaka in the
afternoon.

3) Any other suggestions would be appreciated. My tickets are already
set, so I need to keep the arrival and departures fixed. We are
flying from Auckland to the South Island and I haven't booked that
ticket yet so I could change the arival city if necessary. Also, I'm
doing Auckland on the weekend because we have a friend there and
wanted to see her (otherwise she is at work.)

Thanks for all your advice.

Regards,

Mike



Date Intinerary Hotel
15-Dec Arrive late night in Auckland Auckland Airport
16-Dec Rotorua Rotorua
17-Dec Rotorua Rotorua
18-Dec Tongario Park Tongario
19-Dec Tongario Full Day Hike Tongario
20-Dec Tongario to Caves to Auckland Auckland
21-Dec Auckland/Hauraki Gulf Auckland
22-Dec Auckland to Christchurch Christchurch
23-Dec Banks Pennisula Christchurch
24-Dec Christchurch/Arthurs Pass/Glaciers Fox or Franz Josef
25-Dec Glacier Trip Fox or Franz Josef
26-Dec Glaciers to Wanaka Wanaka
27-Dec Free Day in Wanaka Wanaka
28-Dec Wanaka to Te Anau Te Anau
29-Dec Te Anau/Milford Sound/Queenstown Queenstown
30-Dec Free Day in Queenstown Queenstown
31-Dec Queenstown, Depart at 3pm Fly Home

in article , Mike at
wrote on 4/12/03 2:35 AM:

1) Is there any independent Glacier travel or hikes that don't rely on
tour companies that would be good for Christmas day? I hear Fox and
Franz Josef are very small, is it going to be very quiet on Christmas
day?
Franz is pretty small & Fox is even smaller - a couple of motels & Alpine
Guides period. If you are fit enough for the glacier hike you might like to
try the Roberts Point walk, It starts from the Franz Josef moraine car park
but you descend to the river, cross a swing bridge & head up along the side
of the glacier, but high above it in the bush. It is about 5 hr return &
the views are stunning. You can of course walk out to the terminal face of
the glacier without a guide. There is a barrier of sorts that says you have
to be "experienced" to go beyond this point!! Just the usual paranoia about
negligence. Anyone with half a brain and a decent pair of boots is fine on
the path.

Your alternative plan may work also. Remember it will be light past 9pm so
you could easily do a half day tramp at Arthurs pass & get to Franz in
daylight on Christmas Day. Just remember to fill up with petrol the night
before (and go to Carols by Candlelight in Victoria Square in Chch on
Christmas Eve.)

I'll be a day behind you on this trip.

Vicki