On the Road to Fox

Wednesday, May 11
South Island

One of the best parts of this trip was that even while we were on the road between scheduled stops there was always something gorgeous to see. Wednesday morning we woke up in Queenstown, thanked her for her hospitality, and hit the road.

Bye, Queenstown.  We had a blast.

Although the day's destination was Fox Glacier, we took the opportunity to stop for plenty of photos. Leaving the lush, green farmland that stretched between mountains and lakes to cruise through actual rainforest was something new for the both of us.  It's pretty amazing when the drive is just as spectacular as where you're headed.

Good morning, mountains.

These cows win for having the best view ever.

Between the lakes nestled into valleys between mountains, and unassuming streams that seemed to follow the road, we stopped often.

It looked like someone just dragged their finger through the land and between the mountains and hills to draw a life line at the bottom.  Just beautiful, with no sound except the sigh of water smoothing the rocks.

Seeing a sign for some falls not far from the road, we stopped to take a short hike and see them.

 Thunder Creek Falls

and the view up and down river from the falls.

I was so excited when the road finally made its way along the west coast, and I got my first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. The beach was empty of people, populated only by exhausted looking driftwood and us, traversing this intimate stretch of paradise beneath a heavy sky.

There was a small pond of some sort back by the road, and if you ignored the roaring sea nearby, it really looked like more of a swamp. The water from that calm place wound its way around and out to the ocean, cutting a sharp little river through the sand, its ripples growing into small waves in an attempt to match those of the water it rushed to join.

It's really wonderful when you have the chance to pretend a small piece of the world belongs to you, if only for a short while. Standing before such an awesome expanse of beauty, crashing and rushing toward my feet, threatening to take me with it back out to sea, was peaceful in its way. You could just open your mouth and let the sea air rush into your lungs and breathe for you.  

Yeah...the water got me.

Chris taking a keepsake from the day.

Digging the whole windblown look :)

Then it was time to say goodbye to our beach, which would no longer be ours the moment we stepped back into the world where the car was parked.  On to Fox Glacier.