Franz Josef Glacier Hot Pools – Day 118

Today we think we’re going on a glacier but we’re going to go somewhere hot instead.

Today we are finally heading to the famous Franz Josef Glacier the journey there is a beautiful one as we drive through rainforest and past beautiful rivers with views of the Southern Alps we are so stoked that we are going to franz josef glacier!

As soon as we arrive in Franz Josef Glacier we are told that our heli-hike that was suppose to take us all the way up in and inside the glacier is cancelled it’s foggy it’s really windy it’s rainy it’s just not happening today so I’m on the phone and on the computer trying to figure out another activity for us to do today and luckily enough I do find us something there is something called the Glacier Hot Pools which is an amazing places where we will be able to relax a little bit and brace ourselves for the massive amount of adventures to come while keep on exploring the West Coast.

the glacier hot pools is a really cool place, it is nestled in the middle of the classic West Coast rainforest it’s really thick and full of ferns, but what they did is that they placed some kind of massive sails above the pools so we are protected from the elements so no matter the rain the cold or any of that it’s still always kind of warm and pleasant to hang out in the pools.

There are 3 main hot pools here at the glacier hot pools and they vary in different temperatures so they vary between 36 to 40 degrees Celsius and we sort of make the mistake of just jumping straight into the 40 degrees ones which is way too hot to just jump into but we kind of find our happy medium in the 38 degrees pool which is just blissful.

So a really nice touch is that they named each of the pools with classic Maori names such as Te Puna Mahiki which means the pool of calmness or Te Puna Makoha which means the Pool of Tranquility it’s just a really nice touch as the pools have a really deep meaning in Maori history. The Maori legends actually state that the pools are fed from the frozen tears of Hinehukatere which was crying over her long lost love. many of the Moari legends are based on love stories which usually don’t end up really well.

This is a really good place to kick back and relax especially after we’ve done over 118 days now on the road doing an activity every single day this is when these sort of activities are really welcome we can just catch up talk and relax among this beautiful rainforest setting.

Even for someone like me that doesn’t really enjoy hot pools usually I’m not the kind of guy that likes to sit down and relax I have to say that this is a really welcome activity for today. I was really stressed this morning about not finding an activity because I had so much planned for us here in Franz Josef and moving our schedule around was just a nightmare so this is just really what I needed right now.

We get around 90 minutes to enjoy the main hot pools here at the Glacier Hot Pools, but because we are enjoying it so much we sort of decide to treat ourselves to another 45 minutes in one of the private pools here. If the main pools weren’t hidden among the forest enough, then the private pools are like a bush walk to actually get to them.

So after a short stroll on the boardwalk we are finally arriving on our pool and as I just said before I am not the kind of guy to relax but this pool is called the pool of serenity or in Maori Te Puna Marino so I basically have to do my best to relax as hard as I can and you know what I will do so. So while we’re kicking back in our own private pool we have the time to discuss what actually we’re going to be doing in Franz Josef while we’re here. Because this place is the place to do heli-hikes on glaciers, walking through glacial valleys and rainforest, and even kayaking on glacial lakes. So we’re sort of making a plan on what we can do here and what we can really make the most of in Franz Josef.

So for Franz Josef our plan is to check in in the beautiful hostel called Rainforest Retreat which is also a massive holiday park and the activities are going to be epic here we are going to be heli-hiking in the Franz Josef Glacier and we are going to be kayaking on Lake Mapourika which is a beautiful glacial lake. We have heaps planned and we’re going to make the most of Franz Josef Glacier.