The earliest most of the 970 tourists trapped in Franz Josef are getting out is Friday. Slips and wash outs south and north of the tourist town mean the only way in or out is by helicopter.
Meanwhile 44 dairy farms just north of Franz Josef at Whataroa are also cut off and will start dumping milk today because no tankers have been able to get through since Friday.
Conan Young managed to fly in to Franz Josef to find out first hand how locals and tourists are coping with being cut off and isolated.
