Small world point : the friend of one of the guys in the Franz Josef Experience Centre was driving Martha, the ambulance the crew met on stage two in Mongolia
Franz Josef is famous for its glacier which is 12km long, it descends from the Southern Alps to less than 300m above sea level. We decided to do a full day trek to explore what this incredible mass of ice has to offer… when in Rome and all that. The walk promised an “experience of the most spectacular glacier environment available to the general public anywhere in the world.”
We’re settling into stage 6 now and rolling on down to Wellington today, 6+hrs on the road. Kate and I are quickly into the routine now, assuming our daily roles with with the enthusiasm of a new kid at school. Me navigation and Kate comms.
Fast fact about Taupo: Home to New Zealand’s largest lake which was formed in the Caldera of a Volcano which erupted 26,500 years ago. The lake covers 619 SqKm, has 32 rivers feeding it and is world famous for trout fishing with crystal clear waters. I like fishing.
High point: For Amy, a smacker of a kiss goodbye from the captain
Low point: For Steve and Amy, saying goodbye to their new friends on the Le Mans Express
No point: A one man moped escort out of Auckland (AKA Jamie Abela)
After 9 days at sea aboard the Le Mans Express it was time for Amy, Steve and Martha to get their land legs back on and kick off stage 6. Auckland has been swathed in sunshine for weeks now so we were all looking forward to some sunshine and incredible views on the first day back on the road….from early morning however, it was clear we were in for something a little more…er…British. Rain….a lot of it.
Ping pong point: being beaten by the Super yet again, but not as badly as Steve, is a massive achievement I feel
Last night we hit a 10 metre swell. Not being accustomed sailors, to us the Le Mans Express sounded like she was going to come apart at the seams. As she moaned and groaned the creaking noise was deafening. And on top of that our cabin had become part of some freaky rollercoaster ride. People pay good money to experience that ‘scream if you want to go faster’ feeling, so why wasn’t I enjoying the cabin being tilted all angles and nearly failing out of bed every 2 minutes? Was this really how it was all going to end… in a tin can still only somewhere off the coast of Australia? Please no!
It was light when the sea finally calmed down and we could get some zeds. As they say, worst things happen at sea.
Boys like big stuff. Men love big stuff. Fact. The great ship Les Mans Express, though not the biggest ship on the sea is still massive.
Some quick fire stats for you : 168 metres long and 10 decks high. Top speed of 19 knots. Her diesel engine has over 15,000 horse power. She carries over 4,000 vehicles from Japan to Australia, NZ, Mexico then USA. To buy her would set you back $50,000,000
Today was a good day, it would have been a great day if it wasn’t for the fact that both Amy and I were proper green from sea sickness. After a little more than an hour of being up for the day Amy was sick, was it a record on this ship?
It was pretty creepy as we approached the port at dusk. The ship does not take passengers so it was all a bit confusing at port security. The two security chaps were equally confused as everyone else, so whilst we were waiting I settled in to a spot of Aussie bashing on the back of the 2nd test victory by England. Jan and Graham kindly waited as the paperwork was being sorted. After some fun and games with customs and the cargo coordinators, Amy and I stood at the edge of the water staring up at our ship, the Le Mans Express. There have been many surreal moments on this expedition thus far and this was right up there for being particularly odd. Eventually a nice chap in a van pulled up, we chucked our stuff in the back and he drove up the ramp and into the ship. Our home for the next 9 days. Up a tiny lift and we were 10 stories up on the upper deck. A long a corridor, door after door with all of the crew jobs titles on them, we were taken to our rooms. We were Wiper A and Wiper B, cleaners I think.
