Let me tell you more about this incredible place, Fran Josef.
It’s true that living here can be boring for some. There is
no cinema, no place for shopping (unless you buy things in the two souvenir
shops it’s got), only one supermarket, one petrol station, a couple internet
cafes and two pubs.
You have a lot of hotels (including a 5 stars one), motels,
campervan parking and around 4/5 hostels. Some really nice restaurants offering
good food, from venison casserole, lamb shanks to veggie burgers.
The main reason why people come here is because of the
activities you can do at the glacier and around town.
Let me tell you a bit more about accommodation. The only
place I can really recommend you is the motel where I worked. The motel has a
total of 16 units, 5 different types of rooms that go from 2 people up to 6 in
the nice two bedroom one. The garden is amazing, the view is spectacular and
you have a laundry room and a nice sitting area where you can have a barbecue. You
are going to have an amazing customer service and they would most definitely
help you with any tours and activities you want to do and with your next
destination too. This is just one of the reasons why 58 on Cron is one of the
top places to stay in Fran Josef according to TripAdvisor's list.
Something that people forget or don’t know about this town
is that it is located in a rainforest. Oh and guess what? As the name says, it
rains A LOT, especially during summer. Not the little annoying rain but the “I’ll
blow away a chair” kind. However, this is not a bad thing, everything is close
together so you don’t get THAT wet. If you like how everything looks so green
you should thank the water too and everyday you have a sunny day you will appreciate
it a million times more.
Now, let’s go back to what you can do here, some I've done,
some my friends done it.
The main activity is the Glacier, of course. I walked there
and it was just beautiful (the walk and the glacier). Most people go by car to
the parking lot and then walk around 20 minutes to it. The glacier is magnificent,
you have waterfall around, more rainforest and that gigantic piece of ice with
that blue/green colour.
You can do a few things here. You can book Valley walk (they
just take you to the Glacier and tell you about the history and what you've got
around); or you could go on a helicopter that will take you to the Glacier and
then hike for 3 hours; a heli hike where you can enjoy the panoramic view of
the mountains and then you can check some ice caves; and a air safari scenic
flight on a small plane (I really don’t know how is it called, sorry).
I did the heli flight and it was amazing. I was working and
my bosses asked me if I wanted to go and a said yes, no time to change, no time
to charge my camera. Flying in a helicopter is cool; I want to do it again.
They take you up and show you this beautiful landscape, the river, the
waterfall, the mountains covered in snow and of course that glacier. Then we
landed on a mountain, we walked around and took some pictures. Lucky for me
Genalin, a Filipina girl that worked with me, came too and she had a camera, so
now thanks to her I can share my experience with you guys.
You have more activities around town, is not just that. You
can go kayaking on Lake Matheson, go bird watching or on a horse trek, as well
as hunting or fishing, it all depends what you like. There are walks/treks that start from the town and will
take you up mountains and a long rivers just ask at the reception where you are
staying. You can also go see the glow worms.
One more thing that makes this place interesting is that you
can go to the West Coast Wild Life CentreWest Coast Wild Life Centre, where you can find some of the
rarest kind of kiwi birds, the Rowi and Haast tokoeka (I went there when they
opened, they are so cute and fluffy).
But there is more, you can go on a quad bike tour (the only
one in New Zealand with Glacier views) around the rainforest and rivers; or you
can drive a buggy on a circuit track in the rainforest where there is a big
chance of you end up covered in mud and they need to hose you down at the end;
or you can also go rafting. But for the more adventurous there is something for
you too, you can skydive from up to 18000ft with a spectacular view of all the
things I've told you before.
And after a crazy day of activities what better than
relaxing on the Glacier Hot Pools. They've got three public pools with water
around 36/40 degrees, where you can chill and relax with the rainforest around
you. If you want more privacy you can go to one of the private pools, a little
bit more romantic and you can also book a massage if you like. I went to both
pools and I loved it, so relaxing and so good, especially when it’s raining
outside and its cold, best thing to do.
Because of all of this and all the amazing people that I met
that I already told you about, I will always recommend this town. A lot to
offer, a lot to see and one of the best service you are going to get. So just
added to your list, I promise you are not going to be disappointed.
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