Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand

Our journey up the west coast with Phil and Tanya culminated in an epic day at the pinnacle of the south island: the Franz Josef Glacier.  The glacier’s blue crystal ice accumulated between two towering cliffs as it slowly progressed out towards the Tasman Sea. 

While the majority of tourists could only gaze upon the frozen mass from afar, and a few lucky ones had the opportunity to hike to the edge, the slim minority had the fortunate chance to HELICOPTER onto the peak and CLIMB through it’s ice formations.  That’s right, with the generous sponsorship from Margie and Mryon, we couldn’t turn down the phenomenal opportunity.  Forgetting the irksome sandflies, we screamed with glee as the chopper transported us for major aerial sightseeing followed by a snow landing atop the awe-inspiring glacier.  

Our experienced guide, TJ, then led us through blue ice caves, moulins (active rivers flowing deep into the glacier), and remarkable surface formations caused by rain and wind.  With crampons securing our feet to the ice steps (hand-made by TJ’s pick ax), we marveled at the glacier for three hours.  Our obsessive picture taking and claustrophobia-inducing climbing were brought to an end as we flew off the glacier in pure happiness.

Here are the highlights from our superb glacial adventure.  For more pics, check out the New Zealand (South Island) folder on the Galleries tab