We are so grateful to have John and Kirsty as our hosts for our 2 nights stay at Fox Glacier during our trip to NZ. And when I say this, it’s not out of courtesy or good will. It’s sincerely from my heart.

We arrived 1 day early due to a mistake from our side during the initial confirmation but Kirsty still accommodated us and made us feel at home despite needing to make the bed for us so late that night.

The next morning, my wife and I went on the Helihike up to the glaciers and guess what…I lost my car keys up in the glaciers! Kirsty and her family then helped me call up the Fox Glacier Guiding Team to see if they could recover the lost keys. John even brought me to see the local mechanic, Clark. Plans were then made to get a replacement key but that would mean further complications as even with a replacement key, the car might not start. As thoughts of taking a bus ride down to Wanaka with our huge luggage in the early hours in the morning seemed to be the only option, the good news arrived.

The Helihike Team found our car keys!!! Were we extremely unlucky or extremely lucky? This question will definitely be answered later on. We quickly thanked John and Kristy and continued with the 2nd half of our day by heading out to Lake Matheson…and Gillespie Beach.

And so, it went from bad to worse.

We ignorantly drove our car into the beach, got our front tyres stuck in the sand and couldn’t get out. We even got a 4 wheel drive to try to pull it out but to no avail. In the end, an old lady by the name of Mary who was living in that area, was kind enough to drive us back to Kirsty’s place. The time was 8pm. We were so thankful because if not for her, we would have to stay in the car for the night as there is no signal at the beach to reach out to anybody.

The next morning, John brought me and his son, in his pickup, to tow my car out. It was easier than we thought. Despite that, if not for John and Kirsty, we most probably would’ve been on the bus to Wanaka and spent a large chunk of money trying to get the replacement keys fixed.

And in the middle of all that mess, we celebrated my wife’s 30th birthday. Kirsty baked a chocolate cake for this special occasion for her. That was the craziest 48 hrs of my life!

A big thank you to John, Kirsty and your family! It’s sincerely a pleasure staying with you and like what John said, “We wouldn’t be forgetting you in a hurry!” Thanks again for being such wonderful hosts. This essay is the least I could do for you guys on Airbnb.

Thank you!