Walking on thick ice

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A long scenic drive next, from the East coast to the West, as we headed for the mountains, and more specifically, the Franz Josef glacier, a giant sloping ice river, where water gradually makes its way to the bottom but 100,000 times slower than a normal river!

Our mission: to climb it.

So we booked ourselves on a guided tour (that's the only way you're allowed to do them) and donned the appropriate jackets and boots. A bus took us to nearby and we walked for about an hour until we reached the bottom of the ice. Here we put talons on our boots, which are metal spikes that strap to the bottom of your shoe to prevent slipping.

It's a pretty weird feeling climbing up a frozen mountain, no rocks, just very hard, compact ice! We often used makeshift staircases that had conveniently been hacked out of the ice by people before us, but as the glacier is always changing, so new routes have to be carved. Our leader had an ice pick, and he occasionally created new steps as we climbed.

We crossed bridges across gaping cracks in the ice that led to enormous holes in the structure, and squeezed our way through ice tunnels, sometimes having to hold our breath as we slid through two huge walls of slippery ice!

It was pretty hard work but an amazing experience, and a definite highlight of New Zealand, if not the whole trip. The gigantic shapes carved into the ice by nature were truly breath-taking, and the blue ice - created by a trick of the light - that we saw was stunning. We had a fantastic day out in the cold, and returned that evening to a lovely hot bowl of soup!

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Photos

The tongue of the glacier
Apparently, the cave where all the people are is actually the most dangerous bit because ice keeps falling, but I don't think they know...

Straddling the glacier
Yes, there is a hole between the 2 walls

Comments

[mum and dad]

What a fantastic walk!! It looks so amazing and the blue sky against the ice is unbelievable! Well done - not sure that the bits with the holes looks completely safe!! Was it not easy to fall through?!! N.Z. looks very dramatic! Keep the fun going and stay safe. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx