Sat 3rd Jan 2026
Well, the day to leave Hawea. By 09:00 we left for Wanaka. We stopped at Relishes for breakfast before walking across the road to the bus stop. We all had an egg and bacon butty. It was starting to get stressful as the buttys took a while to be served.
Anyway, we just had time to gulp them down before the bus arrived; actually we had a bit more time than we thought as the bus stop was only 2 minutes walk away. Nathan the driver checked me in; my rucksack easily fitted inside and in the luggage rack.
After saying goodbye to the family, we set off bang on time at 10:10. Hard to describe the journey because the whole way consisted of stunning scenery. There was a nonstop commentary from Nathan, which was very informative. We stopped once for a view of L Wanaka and then a half hour break when I had a latte.
Maybe about half way we stopped to switch drivers and Mel took over. Actually, I preferred her commentary on birds/tectonic plates/volcanoes/local bison and deer herds.
After Haast we stopped at Ship Creek and Knight’s Point on the coast for a photo opportunity, which was very nice/considerate of Mel. It made me feel that I wasn’t on a just an ordinary bus journey but more like a Tour.
On my excursion 3 years ago with G&A we stopped at both of those places. Oh, the other thing to mention is that we left Wanaka with 6 passengers on the 50 seater bus. 3 of them left at Haast and one at Fox Glacier…leaving me as the last survivor..!!
We arrived at Franz Josef at exactly 16:10. Mel drove me to Haka House and along the way I saw many No Vacancy signs so I decided to stick with Haka House even though my room cost was very expensive…402nzd or 173gbp.
The room was fine..it was quite luxurious. I went walkabout and found the Glowworm for half the price and told them I would 100% be back the next day.
I went walkabout and discovered the Landing and had a few beers during their happy hour. I also discovered the supermarket and bought a big packet of sausages, doritos and a bottle of red wine.
Back at Haka I cooked the whole packet and ate 4 sausages in the large communal kitchen/lounge area. I spoke to a couple of guys from India. It was a nice place to relax before going to my room.
Sun 4th Jan
The Haka was a bit noisy in the morning…doors slamming. I ate another 2 sausages for breakfast…oh, the packet had contained 12 sausages. I found the last remaining tea bags and some left over milk. That’s how it works in a hostel; there’s quite a lot of leftover foodstuffs. I found butter, coriander and sauces to cook with my sausages.
I left Haka just before the 10:00 checkout. I walked slowly up to GlowWorm just to say I still wanted the room even though checking in wasn’t for another few hours. I left my rucksack in the lounge and went walkabout.
I went towards the helipad area. I walked 15 minutes out of town, over a bridge with melt waters flowing from the glacier. Because there were people walking a little way ahead of me, I wondered if they were heading towards the glacier. That’s when I found out that the glacier viewing point was actually walkable.
Anyway, I wasn’t tempted as it was very cloudy and the glacier wasn’t in view. I took pics if the river and went back to GlowWorm to check in. I waited a bit…which was fine. Actually, I preferred this room, and at 182nzd or £83, it was just under half the price of the Haka room.
Off I went again. I got a good view of the glacier …ok, from far away…but the sun had come out and the clouds had cleared just long enough for me to get some good pics. I popped into a heli tour office and the lady said how it had been a bad season with lots of flight cancellations due to bad weather.
I went to the Landing for happy hour drinks. At the end, the young barman tried to charge me ‘ handle ‘ rates of 16nzd per pint instead of the 9.50nzd happy hour rate. That’s a huge difference, and I said ‘no’ a few times before another bar person corrected him.
I went back to Glowworm for the 6pm free soup. There were a couple of bits of veg in it, simple but nice. I ate 3 more of my sausages with it and washed it all down with a bottle of red wine. The other thing on offer was pop corn from a machine in reception.
That was it for the day. I went back to my room and finished off the wine on my little verandah.
Mon 5th Jan
I woke up a bit early but that gave me the chance to have a couple of coffees for breakfast. I liked my room so much , that I felt I didn’t want to leave Franz Josef…and I was enjoying Franz Josef anyway. I would’ve stayed on but the bus didn’t operate on Tuesdays and if I left on Wed it wouldn’t leave much time in Nelson.
The bus stop was only 5 minutes away; I was there before 09:00. There was some sunshine through the cloud, so it promised to be a good travel day.
Elisa was on the bus which started in Fox Glacier…she was with me from Wanaka. I took the front seat behind the driver Marcel and we left bang on 09:15.
Only about 10 minutes into the journey we stopped at Lake Mapourika for some scenic pics. After that it was just glorious mountain scenery on the right hand side of the bus, until going down to the coast which was then on the left hand side. We stopped in Hokitika for 45 minutes; it was nice to have been there before with G&A. I took a pic of the driftwood Hokitika sign on the beach; had a chai, and then we were off.
Next stop Greymouth to pick up a few new passengers and switch buses…although we kept Marcel the driver. Then on to Punakaiki and a stop at the ‘pancake rocks’. These are famous limestone formations resembling giant stacked pancakes, sculpted over millions of years by marine organisms, tectonic uplift, and erosion from wind, rain, and sea. At high tide and during big swells, the ocean surges through underwater tunnels, forcing water and spray through blowholes with explosive force, creating spectacular geysers. There’s a great walkway that takes you all the way around.
We continued up the amazing coastline; I think we were half way by then. We called in at Westport and then cut across country over high mountains, deep river valleys and some flat areas for farming, to Nelson.
We arrived before 7:30pm, so it was a 10 hour journey…but absolutely stunning.
I was walking a bit blind having got an idea of some streets and roughly where the hostels were. I reached one backpackers but they only took on-line bookings …no walk-ins. Just around the corner was a YHA, and I got a private room with shared bathroom facilities for 121nzd or 52gbp.
I wanted a drink at that point. I found the Vic pub and had 2 lagers at 14nzd each (£6). I then found the Post Boy pub that the YHA receptionist recommended, but it was gone 10pm and they were just closing. So, back to my accommodation and to my room.
Tues 6th Jan
I found some coffee in the kitchen and sat with my mug in the garden area. I paid for another night but wasn’t too enamoured with my room as it was next to the bathroom/toilet.
I decided to check out Palace Backpackers just over 5 minutes walk away. It’s a quirky place; proper backpackers place. Its location was slightly up a hill, but near a supermarket and near Post Boy pub. I liked it and paid up front for my last 2 nights in Nelson.
I then went on walkabout. I lay in a little nearby park for half an hour. I briefly went back to the hostel. I took a walk to the waterfront. There were yachts moored; a stream coming into the sea. I stopped for a chai latte.
On the way back I popped into a Woolworths and bought a packet of 14 Chinese honey sausages, a bottle of wine, and a tube of 100ml factor 50 suntan lotion. It’s hard to find factor 30, and I was running low, so it had to be done. And with the intensity of the sun here, it’s probably not a bad thing.
I relaxed at the hostel. I went to Post Boy just before 4pm. A pint cost 8nzd, but after 4pm on a Monday and Tuesday the cost went down to 7nzd !! Anyway, much cheaper than the fancier bars a couple of hundred metres away in town.
At Post Boy I was invited to join some regulars…which was fun. I was there nearly 2 hours before going back to YHA for my sausages dinner. I sat in the lounge area for a while sipping my wine, before going to my room.
Wed 7th Jan
I sat in the garden at YHA for a little while before checking out. By 10:00 I was at Palace Backpackers. Check in was around 13:00 so I left my rucksack in a cupboard under the stairs.
My mission for the day was to walk to the beach. After a slow start in terms of taking the wrong route, I found myself on the waterfront following the path to Tahunanui Beach. It was a pretty walk…the sea on one side …then hills on the other side with lots of huge houses.
The beach was just about okay…little sand dunes, but no trees. I think it was good for swimming; as it was the holiday season there were lots of families. At least it was a nice sunny day. I stayed for an hour then went across the road for a chai. Catching a bus back was confusing, but eventually I caught a blue bus for 3nzd.
I went straight to Palace and collected my rucksack and room key. It didn’t take long to settle in. I’m located in the smaller house, but there’s a bigger house as well; I don’t know how many rooms in total, but there are dorm rooms as well. I used the kitchen in the big house to cook my sausages !!
After hanging out a bit and eating a couple of sausages, I went around the corner and down the road to Post Boy. I first popped into New World (directly opposite Post Boy) for a bottle of red wine.
A different lady was serving behind the bar, and it was after some confusion regarding happy hour that I was told it was only on Mon & Tues. An old boy…Cooky…invited me to sit at his table and we had a great conversation.
And so, back to Palace to have a sausage and munch on doritos. I sat in a breakaway room near my little house and chatted and sipped my wine. That was it for the day.
Thurs 8th Jan
I had a good sleep. Only one drawback…a high up window (3ft x 2ft) didn’t have a curtain so the light in the morning was very bright.
My mission…to have a haircut. I went to the barbers just down the road from Post Boy. I made a 12:00 appointment and went to the little park to lie in the sun for half an hour. I returned before 12:00 and as the guy was ahead of schedule I was able to get straight into a chair and ‘order’ my no.2 (or buzz cut). I was very happy with the outcome at a cost of 23nzd ..or 10Gbp..not too bad.
I then went to the bus hub to check my walking route and to get an idea of times/ frequency to the airport. Funnily/coincidentally, I went over to ask a bus driver and it turned out to be Mel who dropped me off in Franz Josef..!!!
I then headed off to see the monument that supposedly marked the precise centre of NZ. It was another sunny day, but the walk was at least 20 minutes of very much uphill climbing.
The path was good; the trees/undergrowth were very nice; the view at the top was really fantastic. The monument itself wasn’t too impressive; it was basically a long, vertical knitting needle..!! At least I did it.
I walked back down and easily found my way to Post Boy ! I hooked up with Cooky again, but 2 other guys joined us this time. I got a bit carried away and had 2.5 jugs of beer. From there it was back to Palace to finish off my sausages and indulge in conversation with fellow backpackers.
Then bed, in the knowledge that I was leaving the next day.