Today is Christmas and start our loop around the South Island of New Zealand. We got up relatively early to head to the airport to pick up the rental car and then hit the road for Franz Josef.
Our first stop on the way was the blue pools. After a quick 2 mile walk we were at the blue pools of crystal clear water, but it was a bit too chilly and drizzly to take a dip.
We then kept driving north and stopped to check out several waterfalls along the way.
We then stopped at a beach with a dunes hike that was somewhat thru a bush area and eventually opted to just walk along the beach to avoid the terrible biting sand flies. When we got back to the car, I accidentally trapped a ton of sand flies in the car and hilarity ensued as we tried to get them out of the car without getting covered in bites.
The rest of the drive was beautiful and ran parallel to the coast for a long stretch. We got out to stretch our legs, switch drivers, and enjoy the views.
We finally arrived in Franz Josef around 4pm and got started on making Christmas dinner. I made a pre-dinner cheese plate and Jacob made the stuffing and mash potatoes to go along with out chicken pot pies. A couple hours later we sat down for a delicious Christmas dinner.
After dinner we did some laundry and snuggled up to watch some Netflix and drink wine.
Beautiful pics! The photos of the ocean make me yearn for a scenic beach to walk on, the sound of the waves coming in, and the smell of salt in the air. 🥰