West Coast on South Island

Te Anau to Wanaka
Who ate all the pies? We are going to. New Zealand is big on pies, so we decide before we leave Te Anau to buy a couple and have them for dinner. Steak and mushroom for Chris, venison for John. See a shop called 'Miles Better Pies' and decide that's the one for us.
Turning north again and face long drive to Wanaka - a sort of mini Queenstown set on lake. On our way we pass through and stop at old gold mining town of Arrowtown. It's a quaint little place which sprang up in the mid-1800s.
You can still pan for gold in the Arrow River today, but we gave prospecting a miss to check out the remains of an old Chinese settlement instead. The Chinese came over during the gold rush, but led the harshest of lives in tiny huts in extreme conditions and were subject to both exploitation and racism. Tough doesn't even begin to describe how life must have been. The huts they existed in were basically no more than one room - and they would house a family. How they survived the most bitter of winters is hard to imagine.
Arrive in Wanaka after taking scenic mountain route late afternoon with sun shining. A multitude of small sailing boats are out on the lake, with the snow-capped peaks of Mt Aspiring National Park mirrored in it. Gorgeous spot to watch the sun turning red over an early evening drink.
Oh, in case you were wondering, the pies prove indeed "miles better'' than any we have eaten before. Delicious. Who ate all the pies? John & Chris did.

Wanaka to Jackson Bay
Get on the road for 8.30am (that's an early start for us late camping birds). Drive through incredibly beautiful Haast Pass with two deep blue lakes on either side, the road twisting upwards through dense rainforests and over single-track bridges (first to bridge has right of way, so can get a bit hairy) with sheer drops on either side. Eyes front, driver and no looking down! No worries. Who wants to stare into the abyss! Couple of stunning waterfalls on the way - Fantail and Thunder Creek - before reaching Gates of Haast at the bottom of the valley. Lovely spot, but dreaded sandflies are biting again. As we get closer to coast cross more and more huge riverbeds, which roar with ice blue snow and ice melt in the NZ winter. It's late spring turning summer here now, so the rivers aren't running wild now but they must be some sight when they are.
Hit the coast at last with the rain fair pelting down now - West Coast of NZ just like west coast of Ireland or Wales. When it's wet it's wet, wet, and wet. Take Tasman Sea road through ancient and eerie rainforest to Jackson Bay which has supposedly great views of Southern Alps. Rain so heavy now and mist is hanging, so assume mountains are looming over us somewhere! Jackson Bay end of road - literally.
It's an isolated fishing hamlet, with one eating place The Craypot - a little caravan specialising in seafood. We have 'whitebait sandwich' which turns out to be a real disappointment (there has hardly been one on our travels). The 'sandwich' turns out be an omlette, but it's a case of find the whitebait! It's just eggy - and the waitress doesn't serve up a smile either, which is unusual in super friendly NZ. At least it's dry in Craypot. Head up to Fox Glacier, where we park up for night.

Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers
Glacier exploring day on agenda. First to the Fox (No Fox's Glacier mints as far as we can make out). Take a walk to foot of glacier, which surges dramatically down valley. Despite having receded over the centuries, it's still an impressive & imposing sight, even more so from a distance where we can now see the upper glacier poking through the clouds. That was hidden to us when we were up close & personal. Mt Cook and Mt Tasman are towering behind, but low cloud prevents us seeing peaks.
Head for nearby Lake Matheson. Hour's walk around lake in which mountains are often reflected in water. Not our lucky day on that front, but sun decides to put its hat on and we get a stunning view of Fox from nearby viewpoint. Great spot for a picnic - and that's what we do in alpine-type meadow.
Franz Josef is some 23km away. Drive there and park campervan in rainforest site for night. Lots of rain, plenty of forest, so no disappointment on that front. Lots of forest noises too! Rain takes a breather for walk to Franz, which is marginally the more impressive of the two glaciers. It appears narrower than Fox, but longer. A 20-minute walk to a spot called Sentinel Rock gives us cracking view of this ice-blue wonder. Can't get as near to it as Fox (both glacier faces are roped off at certain point because of the very real danger of river swells and ice falls), but it still offers real wow factor. Just an incredible world really, particularly as these two giant fields of ice are so close to the sea.

Hanmer Springs
Had wanted to head right up West Coast - drive is a corker in good weather apparently. However, wake to sound of pouring rain and leaden skies, with mist hanging low. Ocean views will be few and far between on such a day. In NZ if the weather is bad in the west it's often invariably good on the east, so we decide to cut our losses and make for Kaikoura which we had wanted to spend some time in anyway, having briefly passed through it before on our way to Christchurch. Decide to stop off and stay night in little village called Hanmer Springs which is South Island's main thermal resort.
Arrive early enough to be able to spend time having a good soak in assortment of mineral and freshwater pools ranging in temps from 35C to 41C. Just the ticket for aching bodies after long drive. Very soothing, though not everyone is impressed. Little boy joins us in one rather eggy-smelling sulphur pool. Turning up his nose, he reckons that someone has farted. It's ''very farty'' in here is the eight-year-old's analysis. Don't look at us, pal! It's the water, honestly.

Jet-boating on River Waiau
Refreshed after our hot springs experience we are Kaikoura-bound, but call in on way to Thrillseekers Adventure who advertise range of sports including kayaking, white-water rafting, jet-boating and bungy jumping. We drop by hoping to see someone take that 'leap of faith.' Instead John goes jet-boating.
As we arrive boat just to go out - and there is one place left right in the front. Chris not too bothered, which is just as well because John is off before she can turn around and has landed himself a primo spot for trip up wild Waiau, jetting through narrow gorges, water rapids and shallows (from 40ft to just 4 inches of water at some points) at breathtaking high speed. Lots of 360% spins along the way make for a top ride.
Family of four in boat - young couple, with little boy and girl - sitting alongside John. After getting back on dry land mum and dad decide to do bungy jump from bridge overlooking gorge. How cool is that? We look on and can only admire their courage. Mum goes first watched by dad and kids and then dad does his swallow dive into canyon.
Those young kids are going to grow up being extreme sports adventurers themselves for sure. That's enough excitement for one day. Kaikoura here we come and, hopefully, some whale-watching out on the Pacific.