Thrill seekers are everywhere in Franz, to the point where bartenders used to “free-pour shots into open mouths like Cancun”, according to some guy I met in a spa pool. And to take care of those tourists, many students work in Franz over summers where they’ll invariably end up at
Maria Feliza Inez/Magic Memories Hanmer Springs
People enjoying a dip in the Hanmer Springs thermal pools on Sunday. “The town is full, and very good atmosphere up the street in terms of people milling around and shopping and playing mini golf and all the other things, Abbot said. Franz Josef, on the West Coast, was “hectic busy on Saturday and Sunday, according to the manager at the Alpine Glacier Motel, Mark Gibson. It was busier than he expected. The visitors were a great respite for the small town and had given us a little bit of a lift , Gibson, who is also a director of the Snakebite Brewery restaurant on the main street, said.
The South Island town relies on international visitors during the peak summer months. “We’re just not getting the numbers here,” Gibson said. “As a visitor from Winton said just prior to Christmas . ‘Is it usually like this here?’ And I said ‘Quiet?’ And she said, ‘That’s an understatement – this is apocalyptic.’
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The 20-minute flight around Franz Josef Glacier is breathtaking. “Recently, we surveyed the village and the results of the survey were fairly dire, with businesses who responded showing they are 81 [per cent] to 90 per cent reduced in their turnovers. “Eight out of those 10 businesses surveyed said they couldn’t trade beyond February [to] March of this year, such is the state of it. That would see another 100 jobs lost in the village . It’s quite a significant impact.”