Ice Ice Babies
Trip Start
Nov 01, 2004
1
38
51
Trip End
??? ??, 2006
Franz Josef Glacier,
New Zealand
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Rebecca had warned us about Franz in advance. A local population of about 300 and one of the highest rainfalls in the world. So we weren't too surprised by the torrential rain when we arrived in to town on a Friday afternoon. Within a few hours we had met most of the locals - Gavin from Glasnevin (who's dad Dave is the manager of the local butcher shop back in Raheny, small world eh?), Sam the Glacier Guide who sleeps with a random tourist most nights thus maintaining Franz's alleged reputation as STD capital of NZ and various other helicopter pilots, guides, etc
Brian at the top of Franz Josef
.Knowing the locals really paid off. On Saturday the sun was shining so Rebecca and Roar took us to the local tiny town of Okarito - a former gold town. After a struggle up and down a really steep hill we all headed out on the Okarito lagoon on a bird watching trip and got really close to a white heron, one of only 150 in NZ.
The next day Andy from the helicopter flight company was able to get myself and Brian on flights up to the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers. A trip like this normally costs several hundred dollars so to get it for free was pretty amazing. Flying up over the mountain was brilliant. Then we landed on a ledge at the top of the Fox glacier. The scenery was absolutely stunning - one of the most amazing places I have ever been in. It was so beautiful I nearly cried. The sky was blue (a rare event in this region), the sun was shining and the snow was dazzling white. I've no idea how long we (myself, the pilot and five rich, old Americans) were up there for - probably 20 minutes or so. And then it was back in the chopper to fly down over the Franz Josef glacier. After we landed I was smiling for hours.
The next day Rebecca and Roar arranged for us to go on the full day glacier trip - this time climbing instead of taking the easy helicopter option. With our boots, ice talons, gore-tex jackets we were ready to climb. It was tough work at time but well worth it. The glacier looks completely different when you're inside it (climbing through crevasses as opposed to being actually frozen in it). It's as if there's a blue light shining inside the ice. We squashed through cracks, walked over scarey bridges, balanced on ledges and fell down occassionally. Absolutely brilliant!
