Well. There we were. A rare, gorgeous blue bird day on the West Coast, New Zealand. Now if anyone knows anything about the West Coast of New Zealand is that it rains. A lot. So when one is gifted with a clear blue sky day, well, one needs to seize the day.
We had planned to do the heli-glacier hike on Franz Josef Glacier; Kā Roimata-o-Hine Hukatere (the frozen tears of Hine Hukatere). The web site made it clear, that trips are weather dependant and that you should allow at least a couple of days in the area, just in case the weather cancels the trip. Fortunately, the weather smiled upon us.
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From the Mountains to the Sea
One of the unique things about the Franz Josef Glacier is that the transition from glacier, to temperate rain forest to the sea is rapid.
“From its origins high in the Southern Alps, the Franz Josef Glacier (Kā Roimata-o-Hine Hukatere) descends into the lush native rainforest of Westland’s National Park. This descent occurs from a height of 3,000m above sea level to 500m over a distance of 9km, making it one of the steepest glaciers in the country. It also has the lowest terminal face elevation of any glacier flowing into a temperate rainforest in the world.”[1]
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The unforgettable experience of walking through the constantly changing narrow crevasses, tunnels and seracs of blue ice on a living breathing glacier, was incredible and one of the highlights of our trip. A few words here, along with a few photos, simply do not do it justice.
We returned to Franz Josef village around lunch time and we made our way back to our motorhome for lunch. Full of chicken wraps and positive endorphins from our morning glacier hike, we couldn’t but help notice the mighty Aoraki / Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain, forming the back drop against the cloudless azure sky. It was as if the mountain was beckoning us to come closer.
Mr N. It sure is a lovely day Mrs N.
Mrs N. It certainly is!
Mr N. There’s no guarantee that we would have a day like this next time we come to the west coast – we need to make the most of it. Let’s do a scenic helicopter flight!
Mrs N. I agree! Let’s do it! After all it’d be rude not to!
Mr N. I agree too! Very rude not to indeed, Mrs. N!
So we did. We flew up Fox Glacier, around Aoraki / Mt Cook and then made a landing on top of Franz Josef Glacier, before heading back down the glacier again.
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Sometimes life’s opportunities to experience great things come along unexpectedly, and every now and then its ok to say – why not – let’s just do it!
Carpe deum! Seize the day!
Credits:
[1] https://www.franzjosefglacier.com/all-you-need-to-know/franz-josef-glacier/
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