Wanaka, Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier, Greymouth, Picton. Days 14-16 of the trip

February 3 (Day 14). We got up a little later because there was no rush. The north coast of the South Island was under heavy rain, so we decided not to hurry, stay in the same place for two days, and get some rest after all the constant moving. This was the first place where we stayed for two nights instead of one.

We got up, ate, and drove back to Wanaka. On the way we stopped at places we had skipped the day before because of the rain.

We spent the whole day driving around the area without hurrying anywhere. The weather was excellent apart from the strong wind.

We got back to our cabin not too late, did all the usual things, and went to bed fairly early so we could leave earlier and cover more distance the next day.

February 4 (Day 15). We got up, packed, and set off. This time the weather really did not cooperate. Where we started from, the weather was fine. But as soon as we got closer to the coast, heavy rain began. I remembered this place from two years earlier, and back then it had been beautiful. Now it looked completely ordinary.

The forecast said that where we were going there would be no rain after lunch, but it turned out to be wrong. There was no real downpour, but there was constant drizzle. We were heading to Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier. At Fox it was all clouds, so we drove around and decided not to walk anywhere, especially since I had already been there. At Franz Josef we still wanted to wait for the rain to stop, and in a way we did. But it stayed overcast, and the glacier itself was not as beautiful as when I had seen it two years earlier. Back then I viewed it from a distance and did not walk the 2 km trail to it, but this time we did, and reached it.

After the trail we quickly drove off, cooked some food, and started eating. When we were almost done, a swarm of biting flies attacked us, so we had to finish quickly and leave. Once we started driving, we discovered that many of the flies had gotten into the car. Apparently they had been hiding from the rain, so we had to drive with the windows open to air the little pests out. Then I found an inexpensive place beyond Greymouth, but to reach it we still had 185 km to go. I booked the hotel and we rushed there because time was short. On one road I overtook a car in a hurry and accelerated. At that moment a police car was coming toward us. As soon as I saw it, I slowed down. It passed, and in the mirror I saw it turn on the lights and make a U-turn. We pulled over and waited for the officer to approach. It was nerve-racking. I did not know how fast I had been going and thought it might have been around 125 km/h. The officer announced our speed: 115 km/h. He asked for the car papers, showed me my speed on his device, and went back to his car to write everything up. As it turned out, their cars are equipped to measure speed while moving. He had been driving in the opposite direction, and on the device I saw two speeds: his and mine. A few minutes later he came back, returned the documents, and gave us a slip with the number for paying an 80 NZD fine. We exhaled. I thought fines for this kind of violation might be huge, Norway-style. But no, 3,500 RUB for going 15 km/h over the limit was not too bad for a one-time mistake. We reached our lodging after dark. Apparently the hotel manager had been waiting only for us and, as I later learned, had even tried to email asking when we would arrive. The hotel was not great. There were some insects sitting on the ceiling. Perhaps they were the same biting ones, so Sveta slept badly, afraid they would bite her at night.

February 5 (Day 16). We woke up before everyone else, packed up, and left. It was my birthday, which I was celebrating in New Zealand for the second time. We had another long day ahead, because we needed to get back to Picton, where our journey across the South Island had begun. In total we looped around the South Island in 10 days and drove about 3,300 km. There were several beautiful places on the way. First came the Pancake Rocks. You can walk around them for free and enjoy the ocean view.

On the road we decided to stop in Blenheim, where there was a McDonald's. We wanted to celebrate my birthday there, but once inside we discovered that they had almost no desserts, only muffins, which I cannot stand. So we drove on and left my birthday uncelebrated. We reached Picton while it was still light. We stayed at the same Holiday Park as ten days earlier, but this time the cabin was different and a little more expensive, though it had a kitchen.

Since there was still plenty of time before dark, we went for a walk around Picton. We drove to the beach there and saw a stingray:

That was basically the end of the day. We went back to the cabin and prepared everything for the next day.