Awesome!

This is an overused word nowadays in my opinion, but I have to say that the experience I had up on Franz Josef Glacier today was truly awesome!

The day dawned fair, a huge contrast to yesterday, so Dave and I were fairly confident that the ice tour would take place.

Initially we were all given jackets, boots, mittens and socks. We were then divided into four groups for the helicopter trip up to the glacier, the views on the way proving to be pretty special.

After landing on the ice we were fitted up with crampons, ice picks and bum bags before being teamed up with another group so eleven of us were led off by Bryce, our guide.

I’ve never used crampons before and they were marvellous - allowed a poor old pensioner to feel really confident while tramping the ice. The landforms around were sometimes beautiful, sometimes spectacular but always interesting.

We walked for about an hour and a half, not quickly as Bryce stopped on many occasions, to make sure nobody had been left behind, for photo opportunities and so he could cut some ice steps for the rest of us to use. The trekking was sometimes fairly easy and at others a little more tricky, but everyone in the group was happy to help others and at no time did I feel out of my depth.

The glaciers in this part of the world are “warm” glaciers, meaning that there is a relatively large amount of melting each year and the ice moves forward at a tremendous pace (for glaciers, that is), in this case, three or four metres a day in the upper part where the slope is greatest. Looking up at that section with it’s huge crevasses, it all appeared very blue.

I could go into a geography lesson here, but I won’t! Just believe me that the experience is one I’ll treasure.

P.S. On a totally different subject, when we arrived at our new motel in Haast this evening, we felt a couple of large jolts - some minor earthquakes!

Jean

Foot of glacier - and foot of rain

Great photos from the viewing area near the foot of the glacier which 200 years earlier extended much further down the mountain. Cynics say glaciers retreat because they don’t like the tourists but whatever the reason it all makes for stunning surrounds.

Reverting to the rain which stopped play on Thursday and lasted for around 18 hours in all I now know it was the worst locals had experienced for years. Some of downpours were sustained and torrential so it’s no surprise to learn the river encroached into town more than most can recall.

Over a 48 hour period the local weather station on nearby Mount Cook logged 313 millimetres of rain which I think works out at about a foot. It is about as much as Los Angeles would get in a year and about half of what London would expect - also in a year - but only around seven percent of the Mount Cook area’s annual downpour. Dave