Perhaps unsurprisingly by now, but by the time that dawn broke, we were up and finishing breakfast. Having kept an eye on the weather forecast the day before, we had booked onto the early excursion to give us the best chance of getting up there. Today we were going to explore Fox Glacier, and getting up there required a flight in a helicopter. How exciting! Neither of us had been in a helicopter before.
Once all were assembled, it was a short coach ride down to the helipad where we were issued with our boots and thick socks and given a safety briefing. Then, with all gear safely stowed in our backpacks, it was time to board the helicopter. Laura got to sit in the front alongside the pilot whilst I managed to get a window seat in the back. Strapped in and it was up, up and away.
The flight itself was good fun, soaring up and over the town of Fox before heading up the glacial valley. Fox Glacier rapidly came into view; a jagged tongue of ice stretching down towards civilisation. All too soon we were touching down on the ice and clambering out of the helicopter. Once assembled and crouched facing away, the helicopter rose into the air and disappeared back down the valley. And here we were. Standing on a glacier in New Zealand. It was rather cool, and not actually too cold!
Before heading away from the landing site we were provided with crampons and given instructions on how to fit them. Then, lead by our two guides, our group headed off to explore the glacier. I loved it. It was fantastic. Helped by my interest in glaciers from uni, I had a brilliant time as we trailed up and down the ice. Although I have forgotten so much since uni! Not good. I’ll need to dig out my glaciers textbook on my return home. The ice forms such fantastic shapes and features, including caves, archways and towering cliffs.
Crunching along over the ice, it wasn’t long until I was removing layers down to my jumper. The glacier is surrounded on either side by tall mountainsides, one of which featured a waterfall plunging down to the glacier’s edge. According to our guides, it wasn’t all that long ago that the glacier reached the top of these mountains (photographs exist showing it!). Our guides were great. One basically grew up on glaciers and has spent a substantial portion of his life exploring them. The other had decided to quit her job in insurance and exchange it for life on the glacier. How wise!
At one point during our hike, our guides found an ice arch we could clamber through which was neat. And we also got to fill our water bottles up with glacial meltwater. It was fresh! And very nice.
Our guide, in the roundabout way that seems best to explore glaciers, was leading us towards the waterfall at the glacier’s edge (Victoria Falls) where we would be stopping for photos. Getting there lead us through a fantastic ice ravine, complete with icy puddle for us to wade through. Thank goodness for the waterproof boots they provide!
Once photos with the waterfall had been taken, it was time for us to start heading back towards the helicopter extraction area. En route, we discovered that our glacier loving guide was also a keen photographer in a former life, leading to a rather impressive group photo:
All too soon we were back in the assembly area, taking off our crampons and waiting for the helicopter. Turns out we had been on glacier for about 2 hours, which had flown by. Also, as the helicopter was coming in, word was received that the weather was deteriorating and that there would be no more tours that day. So our weather monitoring and early start had paid off!
Our flight down off of the glacier was just as impressive as our flight up with the glacier whizzing by below us before giving way to the valley floor. Two minutes later we were touching down and emptying out of the helicopter to return our gear and collect our helihike certificates! What an experience. It had been super!
However, by no means was the day over yet. It was only 1pm, which did mean that it was lunchtime. One sandwich and one slice of cake later, we retrieved our campervan and headed north. We weren’t going far; indeed we were just heading up to Franz Josef where we were planning on staying the night. First up though, after our arrival in Franz Josef was the Glacier Hot Pools. Now, maybe we’ve been spoiled having visited Iceland, but I was hoping for a little more. The complex has 3 outdoor pools of varying temperatures. However, there was no evidence of the geothermals that heat the water. Instead it was more like a spa. Having said that, it was still fantastic to relax in the hot waters and unwind.
Once well relaxed and showered, we tried to go to the campsite over the road, only to find it closed. Not ideal. However, they did recommend the Rainforest campsite just down the road, which was great. As the name suggests, the campsite is set in a subtropical wood and was very nicely set out. And, an added perk, the bathrooms were heated! Talk about luxury. Once parked up and connected, we headed to the onsite restaurant/bar for dinner. It had a great atmosphere, with the feel of a big communal meeting area. Highly recommend! It was so toasty that we really didn’t want to leave. But all too soon our eyes started drooping and our bed was calling. Once snuggled down under our super snuggly duvets, we were agreed that today had been fantastic. Then lights out before our longest drive tomorrow!