Queenstown to Franz Josef

(click on a picture to get the large version)

The country around Queenstown is dry and brown. But once you get to the west coast, you're in rain forest. The vegetation is thick, green and usually very wet - it certainly was when I was there. Fox and Franz Josef are two small towns designed specifically so people can easily visit the two glaciers of the same names.

Some of the views along the coast.
Unfortunately I was only in Franz Josef a short time. It was pouring rain when we arrived, so we had no view of the mountains. I took this picture the next day as I was about to leave.