Glacier Country
Trip Start
Dec 18, 2006
1
53
78
Trip End
May 04, 2007
Franz-Josef Glacier,
New Zealand
Sunday, March 11, 2007
You guessed right - it was named after the Austro-Hungarian emporer by no other than Julius Haast (who in turn was knighted and called Julius von Haast). Overjoyed with having a glacier named after him, FJ sent 6 mountain goats to NZ - nowadays, there are over 20.000 of them causing havoc to the environment (yet another good idea gone bad for and in NZ)
Aoraki (Mount Cook) from the other side
.We checked into our hostel and enquired about day hikes for the next morning - only to find out that there will be RAIN! Since it was still dry, we decided to walk to the face of FJ glacier. It is a massive and steep glacier, which (unlike other other glaciers in the world) advances (rather than retreats).
Heading back to the hostel, we decided to make the most of next day and do a guided glacier tour (not much else to do in FJ on a rainy day). To celebrate this stroke of genius, we went to the pub and had a couple of pints.
If you usually do not believe in the weather man, you regain faith in the trade in NZ. It was (as forecasted) drizzling in the morning when we went to "Glacier Guides". We got geared up with boots, overpants and rain coats as well as talonz (spikes for your boots). After walking to the face of the glacier (again), it was time to put on the talonz and start our ascent into the glacier. The paths were all marked but had to be "re-done" with axes by the guide. The rain (which got heavier as predicted) didn't really bother us - on the contrary, it turned the ice even more blueish than normal (there are always two sides to the coin, ain't it?)
Before scaling the glacier
.The hike up the glacier is fantastic. The ice pinnacles and other formations (e.g. small tunnels, crevasses) are just amazing! We were happily brushing off the rain drops and just enjoyed the rugged but beautiful glacial landscape. Over lunch, we were visited by a cheeky Kea "hunting" for food - not one bit shy! On the way down, we were treated with yet another brilliant view - mist over the glacier and some of the crevasses (unfortunately, the camera had "died" on us ... oh well, it is in our memory!).
Although the rain hadn't bothered us, we were happy to get out of the damp clothes and have a hot chocolate provided by Glacier Guides. It was a grand (and wet) day out - making the most of a rainy day!
