Misty Mountain

Take that, Snowdon

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, and that less is more, so from here on in, my blog posts will be much shorter. That’s not to suggest I think all my posts up until now have been too long. I’ve simply wanted to share with you my experiences in their entirety as much as possible, but the reality is that, while travelling the world, both time and Wi-Fi are limited. But that’s not a bad thing. That said, pictures don’t do much justice for the scenery. Sure, you’ll think the pictures below - as well as those I’ve already shared - are stunning, but I just can’t stress how they are no patch on seeing the real thing, as they lack the grandeur, the majesty, the striking colours, the depth, and the sheer scope of the landscape. It’s a lesson learned for having not invested in a proper camera before going away, I guess, but then I suppose this is where the writing comes in.

Objects in this picture don't appear as close as they are

All I can say on Franz Josef is wow, just wow. Okay, I have a little bit more to say than that, of course. A small mountain town, Franz Josef looks like Snowdonia’s Betws-Y-Coed on steroids (that’s an analogy I’ll forever use when describing New Zealand to people, courtesy of our chief experience officer Mark!). But while the town itself is small, there’s plenty to do here, and there’s nothing small about the enormous mountains on its doorstep and at every turn. They look almost within reach. In fact, they are within reach. While driving through the South Island boasts endless mountain ranges in the distance of indescribably-epic proportions, there’s something very “in-your-face” about Franz Josef. Simply put, the mountains aren’t at all distant. They are just there, as soon as you step out the door of any building, whether it’s the Rainforest Retreat Hostel, the Kiwi Sanctuary (quite an awesome experience to see two of the incredibly rare Rowis in their silent indoor forest), the Alpine Cinema (see upcoming post for my Fate of the Furious review) or any of the restaurants and bars that line the modest and charming main street.

Not actual size

Thick low cloud clings to the tops of these mountains, snaking down through their forests like ethereal tentacles but never quite reaching the bottom, despite the altitude of the town itself. And these formations are so massive you can barely see the sky. Franz Josef is also a thirty-minute drive from the striking beauty that is the Fox Glacier, as well as Lake Mathieson. And while I’m behind on my blog posts – again, thanks to the terrible Wi-Fi, and of course naturally being unable to connect due to being in such remote parts of the country recently – I’m currently on my last night in New Zealand. So I can now say that Franz Josef remains my favourite place of all, with Tongariro National Park right behind. But that’s not just because of Franz’ mighty appearance and its similarities to my favourite Welsh retreat as mentioned above. Franz Josef might seem like a tranquil mountain town, but it’s actually home to a variety of thrilling activities that also include quad biking, helicopter tours, glacier hikes and skydiving. And if you’re up-to-date with my Facebook posts, then you’ll already know that I jumped 16,500 feet out of an aeroplane. Yes, that really happened, but this hyper adrenaline-fuelled experience no doubt deserves a post of its own…

Because why not