Fox Glacier, NZ

Friday, March 6

This morning we woke up in Okarito, New Zealand which is on the west coast of the South Island. I could hear the ocean waves crashing from our RV parked at the town campground, so I decided to take my workout to the beach. Sand flies, be damned! Bug spray has become part of my workout essentials now.

When I returned to the RV, Andi had the dining table put back together and the kids dressed and fed. Our internet coverage was poor there which makes school a challenge, so we decided to go for a hike first thing that morning and then drive to our next destination to do school.

Okarito is the largest wetland preserve in New Zealand and home to more than 17 different bird species. We decided to do the 3-mile Trig Walk which began with a wooden boardwallk through the reeds.

Sometimes when we’re hiking as a family, it naturally happens that Andi and I pair off with one child who’s walking faster or slower than the rest of us. The result is an unscheduled blip of quality parent/child time together in a travel lifestyle that otherwise has all four of us together 24/7. This morning. Andi and Tory walked ahead while Aden and I took our time and talked. He is so chatty in the mornings and filled my ear with all kinds of stories and questions about our travel experiences, his favorite cartoon characters, summer memories at the cabin, and more. Aden was so busy talking that he barely noticed the trail climbing in elevation. Tory was aware though, and when Aden and I caught up to them resting a lookout point over the ocean, she was not pleased. Neither Andi or I brought any water on our walk that morning, and Tory complained she was too thirsty to continue any farther.

The four of us rested on the bench for a few minutes, and then decided to walk back down the trail to the car park. No sense dragging Tory along if she didn’t want to be there. In the parking lot, we came across a group of Americans on a mountain biking tour. I’m sure Americans have been all over the country, but it was the first time Andi and I heard someone that sounded like us in a few weeks! We wondered if we’d encounter more Americans the farther south we traveled as most of the bigger tourist attractions are there.

Back in the RV, we drove from Okarito to the town of Franz Josef Glacier. This tiny one-street town is best known for helicopter rides to see the two biggest glaciers in the Southern Alps — Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. We’d already gone on a helicopter tour in Hokitika, so we parked along Main Street so Tory, Aden and I could do school in the RV while Andi picked up a few groceries from the 4 Corners Supermarket. My two biggest takeaways about this town in the short time we visited were how busy it was with tourists and how noisy it was with helicopters constantly flying overhead.

After we finished school and ate lunch in the RV, the four of us continued on to the town of Fox Glacier. Andi reserved us a campsite at the Top 10 Holiday Park for the night, but first we decided to walk around nearby Lake Matheson.

On a calm, clear day Lake Matheson is known for its reflective views of Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman. Unfortunately, afternoon clouds had rolled in and covered the summit of the mountains in the distance but it was an otherwise gorgeous day to go for a walk in nature.

When we reached the first lookout point on the trail, we sat down on the bench to admire the view. Even without the mirror reflection of the mountains on the water, it was still a lovely sight. Andi and I would have likely walked further around the lake, but figured we were pushing our luck asking the kids to go on two hikes in one day.

Around 5:00pm, we made our way to Fox Glacier for the night. Tory and Aden squeal with joy whenever they see the Top 10 Holiday Park sign because they know there’s always a nice playground and kids there to play with. We weren’t parked in our camp spot for a minute before they had their shoes on and were running over to the playground. That night, Tory made friends with a girl from Abu Dabai and Aden met a boy from Nebraska of all places!

It was an evening of recharge. The kids played on the playground until it was bedtime. Andi cooked us dinner in the community kitchen while I did laundry. Eventually, Andi and I joined the kids at the playground and made conversation with the Nebraska family (who now reside in California).

Tomorrow, we’ll continue south toward the Central Otago Region of New Zealand’s South Island.