Franz Josef Glacier - Clare's "iceberg"

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On the 20th we drove from Haast up to Fox Glacier. Fox was the 3rd opportunity for us to see Mount Cook, the highest point in New Zealand.

Now bearing in mind that this is a 3700 metre Mountain, we have now been to it's base and 2 other viewing points and I can honestly say we haven't seen it yet. We haven't been drinking, and our sunglasses aren't too dark - it's just the South Island has spent most of the summer covered in low cloud! It's so annoying!

So, after a brief wander round Fox - were we couldn't see the thundering great big bloody glacier on the mountain side due to the cloud, we carried on up to Franz Josef - site of the more famous glacier.

The township of Franz Josef is enormous, there must be a good 20 or so permanent residents here, and plenty of places to eat and stay. Once again however we couldn't see the glacier to save our lives!

Nonetheless we persevered, and found a campervan site to stay for the night. The rain cleared up about 4ish, so we had a wander back down to the glacier car park. The cloud was still quite low, but as we walked up the bush track towards Peters pool the glacier came into view throught he rainforest. It is an awesome sight, perhaps more so in Summer as it is so striking amongst the verdant green forest that clings to the mountain and valley sides.

We couldn't walk up to the glacier as the rangers had closed the path due to rockfall and flooding, but we did do a cool walk for a couple of hours through the valley and the rainforest.

So finally I get to yesterday. Basically we decided to climb up the glacier ourselves. Without any assistance or guiding from the Franz Josef Glacier Guides company which would have been the much safer option. We couldn't understand the signs on the way up to the glacier, so we just cracked on without any saftety gear at all. It's such a remote place, we'd never make it if we fell down a crevass anyway, so we thought it best to just throw ourselves at the thing.

We spent the whole day up on the glacier, climbing and walking on it from about 10am until 6pm. Heavy rain started to fall by about 4pm, but seem as we were in T Shirts and shorts without any safety gear we didn't mind.

The glacier is in an incredible sight and experience - the walls and caves of blue ice are truly spectacular and other worldly. One blue hole we went through was ridiculously tight, and we both nearly got stuck!

We climbed to a point about 400 metres up the glacier - and so a real array of ice formations and rock falls.

We rewarded ourselves last night with a quality curry - can you believe it this place has an Indian restuarant! There is a god.

PS - Clare wishes to be exonerated from all attempts by Dan to wind up and terrify his mother. We went on a fully guided trip. The End.

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Comments

[Charlotte]

WOW WOW WOW!!!

[Mum G]

Just wait until I get you home!
I can't believe you have done it to me again Dan,as you can imagine I really started to believe all this. Just as well I can rely on you Clare to tell me the truth. Take care all my love Mum G. XXXX

[Nicole]

somehow i accidentally managed to unsubscribe myself. sooo glad i kept an old link to double check if i'd missed anything! you do realise that when you get home and look back from day 1 you'll be amazed at how much you have already forgotten doing! which is great after a couple of months back in the rat race and you need a pick me up. which is exactly why i keep all my oz pics online for when i'm bored at work!!