Day 8: Franz Josef Glacier

We made our way down to the rugged West Coast of the South Island to find ourselves in rolling hill country which is traversed until you reach the summit of the Hope Saddle and descend into Buller River Valley. We saw the land faults from the Murchison earthquake before we reached the Buller Gorge on the way to Westport. We continued travelling along the rugged coastline via the fascinating rock formations going further south to the West Coast Glacier Region. Formed during the ice ages, the glaciers advance and retreat with seasonal weather patterns. They make for spectacular landscapes surrounded by luxuriant rainforests.