Franz Josef - Glacier Walk

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So today we left Uncle Les and Lake Mahinapua and it was Franz Josef today’s destination. Only one stop along the way today, Pukekura (Pook-e-ku-ra) where we visited the Bushman centre. This showed us how people make a living from various things including possum trapping and helicopter deer recovery. They showed us a film of men basically throwing themselves out of helicopters onto deer’s back, crazy! And we met their resident pig, which Sam had to feed, the pig was huge and hungry, Sam was very nervous, ha ha. Then it was on to Franz Josef.

Now Franz Josef is famous for its glacier and that was tomorrows plan, so today we went to the tour office to find out exactly what walking on ice involved and what we should wear, then it was off to check into our accommodation. This was a pretty cute place, all the rooms were set out like little chalets, felt a bit like a ski resort and they had a sauna & spa, but I decided to give that a miss today, it will be much more appreciated tomorrow after the glacier walk. The rest of the day was spent chilling out, making dinner and a few drinks.

Today, Friday 14th October, was an early start in preparation for the glacier walk. I’d opted to do just the half day hike, which was in total 4hrs long, 2 of those on the actual glacier, and I’m glad I did because today was the wettest day in New Zealand so far. So we headed down to the tour office and we were given waterproof trousers, jackets, hats, gloves, boots and spikes that fastened to the boots so that you could walk on the ice. So all kitted out, off we went. This was quite a surreal experience, just hiking up and down the ice, through crevasses and caves. I’ll give you a bit of technical info about the glacier from my tour book, so you have a bit more of an understanding.

A glacier is simply the remaining snow that summer has been unable to melt up in the mountains. In Franz Josef the snow collects in the 30km² névé and each season another layer is added. Time and sheer weight fuse the snow crystals to clear ice. Just check out the pictures, it’s pretty unbelievable and very beautiful.

Throughout the morning we got very wet, not only because it was raining on and off, but some of the crevasses we walked through were very narrow, so you were frequently brushing up against the ice. But even though my hands and feet were soaking wet, once you got going I was surprisingly warm because the socks and gloves they gave us were pure wool. We got back to our accommodation early afternoon and needless to say the first thing I did was hit the spa and sauna. What a fantastic why to relax and warm up after the morning.

Oh in case you’re wondering. I mentioned in previous blog entries about sky diving. Well this is where we planned to do it, over the glaciers, but at I’m sure you’ve guessed the weather wasn’t up to it. I was secretly pleased, because neither was I.

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Photos

The Sheep blocking the road ont he way to Franz
Well there are more sheep than people in NZ

All wrapped up ready to start Glacier Walk
Nicole, Sean, Becky, Sam & Me

Sam & Sean on the Glacier
Gives you an idea of how narrow some of the crevices are