Peters Pool- Glacier Country, West Coast

Catch-up- West Coast

There are a number of walks that leave from the Franz Josef Glacier car park, including of course the main attraction, to the Glacier itself. On what turned out to be our last sunny afternoon (the weather packed up and so did we), I returned to walk a couple of the shorter tracks.

The first walk was to Peters Pool, a short 1.2km return walk. It's a lovely walk through beautiful luxuriant green rainforest with the occasional view of the glacier valley and the mountains behind.

With most visitors walking the glacier track, I had this one to myself and was able to take my time, enjoying the bird life along the way...

...and stopping often to take photos of the many different mosses, lichen, fungi and berries growing in the damp understory and along the moss covered banks.

Peters Pool is another Kettle Lake just like Lake Matheson. There are numerous kettle lakes around the valley, left behind by the retreating glacier hundreds of years ago. Large blocks of slower melting ice left huge depressions in the valley floor. Kettle lakes have no inlets or outlets and are basically just great big puddles filled by the rain (of which there is plenty) and evaporated by the sun. Eventually the kettle lakes (especially these smaller ones) will disappear as vegetation grows in from the sides, and peat and mud naturally fill the depressions. 

And here is the reason Peters Pool is a popular walk. Just like it's big sister, Lake Matheson, the reflections of the mountains behind are magnificent. The pool is named after a 9 year old boy, Peter Westland, who camped here all by himself in 1894. Of course back then the glacier was in full view, reaching around the corner with the terminal face right at the back of the lake. Of course the forest has since re-generated too.

A group of foreign tourists (English speaking) arrived as I was taking photos, they got all excited about the birds they could see across the pool sitting on the grass mounds at the edge (right hand side).

I tried to keep a straight face as they turned to me and asked if they were Kiwi! 

I carried on further down the path thinking that it might have looped back around to the Sentinel Rock Walk, the other short walk I intended to do, but it joined the Roberts Point Track and a walking track back to the Franz Josef Village. 

Roberts Point Track started on the other side of the swingbridge across the Waiho River, which contains ice melt from Franz Josef Glacier and the contents of the many waterfalls that cascade down the mountain sides along the valley. 

I crossed to the otherside and could see straight away why the Roberts Point Track is classed for experienced trampers only. The track was narrow, muddy and very rocky and that was just the first few metres along the edge of the river. 

It then climbed steadily up and along the valley wall towards the glacier where the views are meant to be stunning, looking out over the surrounding mountains and down over the glacial ice. There's another large warning sign (there's one back at the carpark) clearly pointing out that this is a difficult track and that trampers have in the past lost their lives by not following the guidelines.  

It's a 5-6 hour return tramp and you need to allow enough day-light hours for the walk. Something I'm not so sure my 'kiwi spotting' group took any notice of. They disappeared up the track as I returned across the bridge; half of them wearing trainers and carrying no backpacks. I took these photos at 1:30pm.

I retraced my steps back past Peters Pool to the carpark and then took another track to the Sentinel Rock lookout. It's a short 20 minute steady climb to the rock platform...

...where the views are pretty impressive looking up the river valley to the glacier.

Sentinel Rock emerged from the glacier in 1865 (not that long ago in the scheme of things), it's an example of how the glacial ice ground the schist bedrock into a Rouche moutonee or 'sheep rock'.

Since 1909 the glacier has retreated over 3kms...

Here on the information panel the glacier retreat over the years can be clearly seen, there was even a lake at the terminal face for 10 years from 1939-49 (remember to click on the photo to enlarge)...

From the lookout platform I can see across the river to one of the swingbridges on the Roberts Point Track (I've zoomed in here), and guess what? My 'kiwi spotting' group have just crossed it and are disappearing into the bush. You might be able to see the bridge in the photo, 4 above, down low, in the dark valley, just above the bottom step rail. They still have a long way to go. 

I return to the carpark and take a few more photos on the way back home, the Waiho River bailey bridge is always a good subject.

And just behind where I'm standing to take the bridge photo is another photogenic subject; the historic St James Anglican Church, tucked into rainforest and located on the banks of the river.

Opened in 1931, the church's altar window took in the panoramic view of the glacier- see bottom left photo (as a previous stamp collector this is another familiar sight for me, there's a 1946 postage stamp depicting the view). By 1954 the glacier had disappeared from the view.

I found the foundation stone very interesting- I wonder if anyone else has spotted the significance? (see below for an answer)

Divine intervention?  

Here's another sister church to Our Lady of the River at Jacobs River and Our Lady of the Snows at Fox Glacier, this is the third in the series- Our Lady of the Alps (one more to come).

And the significance of the foundation stone? The date the stone was laid; the 3rd of February, 1931. 

While the Governor General, Baron Bledisloe, was conducting formalities and laying the stone, my home city Napier, was being destroyed by a massive earthquake. 

Glacier Country- Franz Josef Glacier

Catch-up

Of course I couldn't do one without the other; so after completing the Fox Glacier walk, next on the agenda (after a few days rain) was Franz Josef Glacier,  which was just a short trip from the NZMCA Park, through the Franz Josef village...

...across the Waiho River bailey bridge, turn hard left...

...and up the access road for about 4kms, to another large carpark. Which is rather busy, probably due to the previous few days incessant rain and because Fox Glacier has been closed for a few days (due to flooding & a large rock fall). There's a tantalizing glimpse of the glacier from the car park this time, although that disappears as soon as I step onto the path.

The cardboard ranger is on duty once again and today he's telling me that I can get to within 750mtrs of the glacier and it'll be a 5.4km, 1 hour 30min, return walk. 

The first kilometre of  the well formed track passes through beautiful regenerating rainforest.

The soothing sound of a babbling stream accompanies me through the bush and in the distance I can hear the rumble of a large waterfall. The glacier comes back into view...

...and so does the source of the rumble. The track narrows and this looks to be a fairly new route as we skirt around the edge of  small mound. Trees close to the path have been trimmed, chopped or pushed over the edge out of the way.

Around the next bend is a major wash out and the old path disappears over the edge of a very large rock slide into the river below. This happened back in March when 158mm of rain fell over 24hrs. Further downstream the river burst through the stopbank and flooded one of the hotels just north of the village.

Once past the new section, the track opens up and there's a clear view up the valley to the glacier. This is where those that are less nimble can walk to for a view, after which the track drops down into the river bed, crosses a side stream and weaves up the valley.

The source of the side stream are the very impressive Trident Falls which are tucked around the rock wall on the right in the above photo.

I don't have my tripod with me but manage to take a few reasonable slow shutter-speed shots to smooth the water.

The track now officially becomes a 'route', where marker posts mark the way and can change depending on what's happening to the surrounding environment. Although it still looks like a track to me. 

Far across the river I can see two swingbridges, I've zoomed in on them here but they are hardly visible from where I'm standing. They're on the Roberts Point Track, a 12.5km return tramping track for experienced and well equipped trampers, that ends high above the glacier. Just like Fox, there are plenty of warning signs about the track, a handful of tourists have lost their lives on it; either slipping down sheer rock walls or trying to take a short cut across the river.

The Waiho River is flowing fast after the recent rain; there's a person on the track ahead of me to give you some perspective.

Looking downstream, with a peep of the Trident Falls on the point.

You may have noticed that there are no photos of David ahead of, or behind me today. That's because I'm doing the walk by myself, he decided to have the day off. So I had to find myself a new subject to include in the shots and luckily this guy obliged. He didn't know it of course but I'm sure he wouldn't have minded.

And I'm always happy to include others when they helpfully appeared in frame just as I click...

The track wound it's way up...

...and down piles of rock and sediment left behind by the glacier as it's retreated.

I thought the most amazing sight, other than the glacier itself, was the huge block of ice covered in moraine...

...on the edge of the track and left behind by the retreating glacier. Slowly, slowly disappearing into the rubble.

Finally I reach the lookout where the huge terminal face of Franz Josef Glacier towers over us. Remember, it's still 750 metres away. The river flows from the terminal face through some deep scars in the rocky valley and is also joined by numerous waterfalls cascading down the vertical rock walls.

Franz Josef Glacier, at 12kms long, is just 1km shorter than Fox Glacier and is fed by a 20 square kilometre nevé (snow accumulation area), while Fox's nevé, you'll remember, is a massive 36 square kilometres.

And there's that ranger again, he does get around.

These signs are at the beginning of both the glacier walks- they obviously had a few complaints and I can see why. The constant sound of helicopters passing high overhead distracts from the spectacular and relatively peaceful landscape even though they're not that loud, more like an annoying mosquito buzzing in your ear. But it's a means to an end and many visitors enjoy the close up experience of flying over and walking on the glacier. It's also the reason drones are banned from the glacier valleys.

I did enjoy watching the helicopters fly in though and they did look just like tiny mosquitoes. This should give you an idea of how big the glacier is. That's the helicopter flying in from the right- (remember to click on the photos to enlarge)

Little red dot- centre right (now that's a wow moment, isn't it?)

I kept thinking it was surely going to hit the glacier as it moved in...

...for a closer look (both them and me)...

And then landed on the glacier where it disappeared out of sight for perhaps two minutes...

...before rising, sweeping across the rock face, up, off and out to the left...

...to be replaced by another helicopter that either came in from the back of the glacier like this one, or followed the same route as the previous one, up the valley. A 20 minute flight, with snow landing, will set you back a cool $235 per person! There are various other longer options available, with prices to suit of course.

Cloud started to roll in over the top of the surrounding mountains and the glacier...

...and it was time to head back down the valley.

Cloud was filling the glacier valley as I passed the last lookout (or first, depending on which way you're heading). And by the time I reached the carpark, the glacier had totally disappeared. Those people that I passed, heading up the track, would have been out of luck and wondering at what they missed. Such is the fickle nature of this alpine environment.

Now which glacier would you visit if you only have time to walk to one? It's a question often asked on a travel forum I frequent. I'm afraid I can't choose one over the other, they are both stunning walks through some magnificent scenery to view two very impressive glaciers. You decide.