To Franz Josef
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Thu 28 Aug 2014 22:57
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To Franz Josef
Township
  We jumped up, abluted and set off to
cover the eighteen miles to Franz Josef. The road and
bridges have become the norm for us as we pootle along in
Mabel.
  This tiny
stream had a great name, no it didn’t smell at
all but Bear did the ‘tourist’ pose.
 Our ‘haze
spotting’ continued with a good one this morning – a tiny patch rising
from the road, joining the cloud that looked like it was waiting for
it.
   The road took us further toward the
coast away from the peaks, at one point the Wicked Witch said “turn left”, just
as well, given that there was no right for the next ten miles. Bear
started You........... and stopped himself,
cheeks billowed, their relationship is far too fragile for any more outbursts
from either one of them.
 Closer to the
peaks but less snow as height lowering as we neared
Franz Josef.
  A little further
on the scenery opened up with us beside a humungous riverbed. Looking downriver and upriver.
  A flood sign just before our
turnoff to go over the bridge.
  We crossed the Waiho River Bailey Bridge. This is how the scene has
looked with the river at flood.
 Once over the
bridge we were on the High Street of this tiny
township of three hundred and thirty residents.
 The town was named after the Franz Josef Glacier - itself named by Julius von Haast in honour of the Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria, him with the wonderful facial hair who ruled for sixty eight years. The glacier's terminal face is close to the town and its accessibility makes it a major tourist attraction and the reason many people visit Franz Josef.   On our right was
the chocolate-box and tiny Our Lady of the Alps
Catholic Church, sadly locked. We always get so saddened to find any House of
God locked. The alps just in
sight.
  We stopped by
these handsome chaps half way down the high
street.
 People rave on
Tripadvisor about this shop – The Te Koha Gallery. We
went in for a mooch and found some lovely jade carvings. We were invited to make
our own jewellery but stood and chatted for a while. The local repellent for
sandflies was retold to us. Half Dettol, half Baby Oil – anything to stick the
little ladies feet together...........now to camp, windows and doors firmly
closed as we can see the little monsters clinging to all the glass, wiggling in
the wind - persistent or what. But we have been warned we are in their capital
city.........
  The view over the right shoulder of Mabel and over the left. Wonderful. Now to play backgammon over a
libation. WELL. We got to four all. Bear had one man on the three and one on the
five. After my last-but-one throw I had one on the three. As Bear tossed his die
I wished hard for him to throw a one. He did. I won, well the language I heard I
had thought was only for the ears of the Wicked Witch.............He got his
revenge in Sequence when I was four two up and lost four five. Heavy money
compensation at Rummikub methinks. Huh.
Don’t you Huh me or you’ll be cooking supper. Oh the pained discipline on his
face as not to remark to that one...............
ALL IN ALL A PRETTY
JOURNEY
RUGGED VIEWS AND FLAT RIVER
PLAIN |