Lake Matau
This morning, when starting up, a red indicator light lights up " Oil pressure too low ". Immediately we check the oil level which turns out to be at the highest degree.
After a minute this light disappears. Leaving the campsite and we stop at the gas station to get an opinion.
It may or may not be serious... We call again the rental company who advises us to buy a can of oil to check if the light is still on.
New start ... The indicator does not light up ... We decide to go and hike on the "Franz Josef Glacier walk".
When we think of a glacier, we imagine ourselves walking on the ice. But here as at "Fox Glacier" it is a completely different reality.
Humans have been there and global warming has done its work. The glacier is now so far down in the valley that it is impossible to reach it without a helicopter.
It is only through the hike that we discover the glacier and its environment. Incredible.
We are not alone but the path is wide enough for easy circulation.
At our stage tonight we meet 4 young French students. They study at a university and are entitled to work 20 hours per week.
Exchange very pleasant.
Franz Josef Glacier
The rain has disappeared to make way for a beautiful sun.
Once again, our campervan is playing tricks on us ... Impossible to distinguish.
We call the breakdown service of the rental company who sends us 1 hour after a mechanic.
This one arrives and starts the camper, explaining to us that one of the pods was badly adjusted ... Why not
Another half day lost ... It’s getting very annoying !!!
The weather is fine, so we take the opportunity to hike.
* Fox Glacier South: 6 km round trip/return through the forest with a clear view of the glacier from afar.
* Fox Glacier Lookout: Viewpoint to see the glacier.
* Gillespies Beach: Several trails along the beach in the footsteps of gold miners.
We continue our route towards the glacier "Franz Josef" which we see in the distance when we arrive at the campsite.
Fox Glacier
More rain... lasting all day
We enter the "Westland/ Tai Poutini National Park" created in 1960, renowned for its peaks above 3,500 m.
But also for its dense rain forests, lagoons populated by birds, beautiful lakes and of course its glaciers.
Arriving early at our evening stop we see only a part of the " Fox Glacier " the clouds are low and cover its summit.
Paringa
The rain is back after a few hours .
We continue our way by stopping to admire viewpoints or small waterfalls of the "Mount Aspiring National Park"
We are in the 3rd national park of New Zealand by its area. Bare rock walls, wooded valleys and rivers follow the snow-capped peaks and glaciers.
Too bad the sun is not present
Always on the advice of Leonie and Erin we stop at "Haast" to taste the " Whitebaits " or simply Frettchen, that is to say tiny larvae of different white fish, also known as whitefish ... Delicious ...
We drive all day to arrive at our bivouac in the evening ... Always by a lake!
Hunter
It has been raining since yesterday evening and this morning we wake up soaked ... the lanternau above our bed is leaking.
The mattress is completely wet as well as the sheets, pillows and duvets. Fortunately our clothes are dry.
We begin to lose patience with our " Cetelem "
Christophe calls again the customer service to explain our situation ... The response to our request scares us ..
" For the leak we make an appointment with a repairer in Wanaka and for the wet stuff... Dry them in a dram and we will reimburse you for the expenses incurred..."
This is not a joke ... Christophe is losing patience and tell them that we are going immediately to their branch of "Queenston" to exchange our campervan.
On arrival, we find that our neighbors from the previous day at the campsite, are facing the same problem as us and they are waiting for a solution
As far as we are concerned, we ask to change campervan because it is unusable and we insist that we lose patience with this rental company.
We get satisfaction and move our stuff from one vehicle to another. We have lost almost a day and we are asking for compensation.
Our new campervan is older but cleaner.
We head back to the glacier region and camp on the lake of the " Kidds Bush Reserve "
Glendhu Bay
We turn back to the New Zealand Far West region.
Before we cross a wine and fruit valley where we buy apricots and nectarines.
On the advice of our New Zealand friends we take a secondary but spectacular road that leads to "Wanaka".
On our way we visit " Cardrona ", a small ski resort best known for its gin distillery.
We cannot visit the latter, the next visit being scheduled 3 hours later ... Too bad! The prices shown are excessive.
This small village is also well known for its houses dating from the time of the gold rush.
We stop early at the lake "Wanaka" to organize the rest of the program.
ROAD BOOK 204
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