Fantastic day on the glacier!

Trip Start Jan 19, 2006
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Trip End Jan 19, 2007


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Monday, May 15, 2006

We tentatively opened the curtains of our van today to look at the weather and guess what? Not a cloud in the sky! However, this doesnt mean the heli-hike will go as depends on visibility on the glacier so went to the office to see if it was all go and it was so we went to get kitted up in our boots, coats etc. On the way two people told us that they were booked on 3 preceding trips and they were all cancelled due to visibility and that they got to the stage of all being kitted up yesterday before the plug being pulled. Our safety briefing continued and then we were about to get on the helicopters and............... nothing happened, it was all clear to go! Got in the helicopter (first time apart from a large Russian one in Cuba) had headphones on etc and felt very daring! HAd about a 10 min fly up the valley and to the top of the glacier before we went down and landed on the flattest part of the glacier. Was very cool! On exiting the helicopter we put on our 'talonz' which are like metal claws to help us grip the ice and our guide then took us on our hike over the glacier 1-We have lift off
1-We have lift off
 . I was quite scared as I hate walking on snow and ice (it was that that mucked up my knee last time) but it was actually not too bad and soon we were walking into caves and up the glacier towards large ice caves. Occasionally you heard a loud crash as some of the ice melted or separated from the glacier but fortunately that didnt happen near us! One guy in another group decided to have a dip in one of the glacial pools (mental) and then our guide found a great climb through cave which was actually quite scarey dropping through. After a good couple of hours we headed back to the launch site and got our helicopter back down the valley. A great trip and worth thee 320 dollars each (although we have now spent too much money on trips here we are having to seriously cut back on everything!!). Not long after the trip my thighs started to hurt - obviously am very fit still.


We then did the Lake Matheson walk again as it was such a nice day the view of the mountains would be better - and it was. Next we did a walk to the Franz Joseph terminal face which was good but not as close as at Fox. Finally we stopped walking and then drove further up the coast to Hokitika and headed to the glow worm caves here. Was pitch black by this time and you had to walk down a dark walkway and into the 'dell' to see them. I chickened out half way down and went back to the van to get the torch meanwhile Dave waited there on his own. He nearly gave 2 people a heart attack as they walked into him on their way back from the dell! That was the only exciting bit though as although there were a few glow worms it was a bit of a disappointment though.

Went into town and got fish and chips for $7.20 (about 2.50) which was good and parked up by a field at least 1km away from the sea but you could still hear it roaring.
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