Franz Josef

Trip Start Sep 12, 2005
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Trip End Aug 15, 2006


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Flag of New Zealand  ,
Thursday, May 4, 2006

Our next stop was the glacial towns of Fox and Franz Josef. There are over 141 glaciers in the New Zealand Alps but only 2 can be reached by people with no mountaineering experience and in fact there are only 3 altogether in the world, the other being in Patagonia. This was our opportunity to do something unique even though thousands of people do it every year. Another reason which makes the area so incredibly unique is that the mountains and coastline are covered in dense rainforest. There are very few if any other places in the world where rainforests and glaciers can be found side by side.

We arrived at the Fox Glacier first and walked 5km to the terminal face which was amazing, but we had already decided to climb the Franz Josef. Even though it is slightly more expensive the steeper gradient of the glacier creates more spectacular crevices and other ice formations Cool as ice...not!
Cool as ice...not!
 . After viewing the glacier we drove to nearby Lake Matheson which boasts some of the most spectacular panoramic views of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman.
By the time we walked to the view point which was a 2 hour walk, the peaks of the mountains were covered by cloud and we didn't get the snaps we hoped for. After our walk we drove to Franz Josef and spent the night in a caravan park.

The next morning we awoke to a brilliant blue sky and decided it was worth driving back over the mountain to Lake Matheson for the photos we had missed. Conor ran around the lake walk, took the photos and jumped back into the car dripping with sweat, then we drove back over the mountain again and made it just in time for our guided hike onto the glacier. We put on our talons and took to the ice. The guide went first and cut the steps in the ice with his ice pick. After a few hours climbing up the glacier and stepping over crevices we returned to base camp with sore legs but it was an amazing once in a lifetime experience. That night we stayed in a cabin with a tv as a treat.
Next stop is Greymouth.
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