Today was a very busy day! After Nina made pancakes for everyone this morning for breakfast we headed out to hike Franz Josef Glacier, the one of the largest glaciers on the South Island of New Zealand. This hike was absolutely amazing...it started out with a bit of a bush walk to a riverbed, followed by a 30ish minute hike through the river bed before reaching Killer Hill, a rock encrusted chunk of ice that is named that way because of its steep grade that must be endured before reaching the ice. After climbing Killer Hill we put on our crampons (aka spikey attachments for our hiking boots) and then headed out through the crevaces and freshly carved ice staircases taking us out into the glacier. It was one of the coolest experiences I have ever experienced and the pictures we took are awe inspiring. After our hike, Nina and Antja got their hot pool on, while Suz and Brad grabbed some grub. We then headed out for Queenstown, NZ. Unfortunately on the way, a fatal road accident occurred between two cars which caused the highway to be closed for about three hours; however, we eventually made it to Queenstown...maybe a bit on the Day 10 side ;-P Time to hit the hay for our awesome day tomorrow...Milford Sound here we come!
