There’s a lot going on in Franz Josef Glacier at this time of year. We usually brace ourselves for spring time as this is typically our wettest season on the West Coast … but wait! We’re on water restrictions due to a lack of rain? We’ve also just started the 2014 Whitebait season and the Rowi eggs being rescued from the Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary are steadily accumulating at the Kiwi Center.

We’ve just ordered some flashy new uniform for the coming 2014/15 season! Quick-dry crew tops for our stylin guides …I will get a photo loaded next week! And Tui below is modelling our new trucker caps. These are available for sale so you can be the proud new owner of:

The 2014 whitebait season has started, a bit slowly, but there’s certainly some bait to be caught! I just got back from a couple days of baiting, (and beer drinking) down the Paringa river. On top of this we also got out diving/fishing on the Tasman sea. A few crayfish, a couple of blue cod and of course some famous West Coast Whitebait patties kept the BBQ full on the river bed. If you’ve never tried any of the above, it’s a must do while visiting the West Coast of New Zealand. NZ whitebait (as seen below) is delicious made into egg patties and is different from whitebait caught any where else in the world …

The Rowi Egg (kiwi eggs) count at the West Coast Wildlife Centre is rising steadily. Now at 18 eggs for the season! These kiwi eggs are taken from the Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary where we paddle our kayak groups to explore. The eggs are taken from the Sanctuary to hatch in town so that the little kiwi chicks have around a 95-98% chance of survival versus a very slim survival rate in the wild. This amazing program eventually releases the almost fully grown chicks back into the wild where they’ve come from. Here’s a couple of photos of our kayaks in the Sanctuary. To see the eggs you’ll have to visit the Kiwi Centre this year!

As I mentioned previously, Franz Josef Glacier is officially on water restrictions so if you’re visiting here please be wary of your water use! Though hopefully our spring weather takes a hold and we get some rain soon, it’s not something most people hope for but the west coast glaciers, rivers and forest are not designed for drought!

Although the fine weather has made for some epic views this past week…

Catch you all next week!