Franz Joseph Glacier

Well, it's the time I've been a bit leary of....heading to the glaciers. Let me explain...I want to see them, but I don't want frostbite. As we headed further south, to my astonishment, it did not get dramatically colder. Even as we approached the glacier area, it wasn't freezing; in fact, we were surrounded by subantarctic rainforest. If the ferns can survive, well then so can I!

Heaps of ferns line the roadways.


Many different Podocarps exist here.


There were many lakes along the way.




The southern alps shrouded in clouds deliver glacial melt to this stunning blue river.


The sun poked through illuminating this gorgeous river.


Some very unusual trees grew in a swamp adjacent to this lake.


This lake was lined with ferns which glistened in the sun.


Once we arrived in the town of Franz Joseph, named after the glacier, the clouds grew thicker. We visited the information center and found out about the different flights and glacier trips, and looked at the interpretive displays. As we left, it began to sprinkle, although clear patches could be seen. We walked the town (all one block of it) and booked a 'heli-hike' trip for the next morning, dependent on the weather. A helicopter flies up to the top of the glacier and drops off the group. You then hike through the glaciers exploring caves and ponds for 2 hours. It sounds like a really amazing trip and we're really excited.


We found a great holdiay park in town called Rainforest Retreat. It has numerous cabins and hotel rooms, camp sites, a store, and bar/restaurant. We went in for dinner and got this beautiful pizza! Yes, it was as good as it looks.


The campground was really great. Each of the sites were nestled within the forest; we couldn't rally see any other campers from our site. It was really great. When we awoke in the morning, the clouds were extremely thick and ominous. As we feared, the helihike trip cancelled. According to the weather report, a large storm was hitting, and the weather would be clear any time soon. We decided to high-tail it out and try to get inland towards Queenstown as quickly as possible, to avoid being stuck in the storm.

But first, we wanted to at least see the termnal moraine of Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers.


The Franz Joseph River draining the glacier's melt.


The terminal moraine of the glacier is visible here at center.


The steep valley seemed to cause the ice to cleave as it flows downhill.

These two glaciers (Franz Joseph and Fox) are extremely unique; they are the only glaciers in the world that flow into a rainforest, and they are the closest to sea level of any glacier in New Zealand. Although global warming is melting most glaciers, these two are the only ones in the world that have been expanding in the last decade. They have declined significantly, however, since NZ was first explored. Interpretive signage at both glaciers demarks the locations of the glaciers during different years. The retreat is substantial.