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.

Glacier Country- Fox Glacier

Catch-up, back to the Coast 

The day after our arrival at Franz Josef, the rain started and it rained solid for the next 10 days give or take the odd morning or afternoon when we managed to do a bit of exploring. First on the list was a trip back over the Omoeroa Saddle, on the winding and narrow main highway back to Fox Glacier to check the glacier out, just in case that incoming rough weather foiled our attempt later in our stay. 

Fox Glacier Village

The road to the glacier leaves the main highway just south of the village and follows the Fox River about 5kms up the valley to a large carpark.

We say hello to the friendly DOC Ranger who fills in the daily update board for the glacier. Today we can get to within 450 metres of the glacier and it's an hour long walk, about 3.5km return, according to my tracking app.

From the carpark the track drops down into the old glacier/river bed and weaves its way across and up a vast gravel plain. You can get an idea of the huge expanse of the glacier valley by keeping an eye out for people in the photos, some are mere dots on the landscape.

There are warnings everywhere; falling rocks, falling ice, slippery surfaces, flooding- this is an active glacier valley and an alpine environment that has rapidly changing weather patterns. 

From a vantage point early in the walk, the top of Fox Glacier can be seen, the terminal face is tucked around the edge of the mountain, front left.

After a number of  tourist deaths on and near both Fox & Franz Josef Glaciers, the warning signs now state the cold hard facts. Cross the barriers and you could die.

The elevation in the valley isn't actually that high at around 300mtrs but it's amazing how cold it becomes the further we move towards the glacier. Back at the carpark people are in short sleeves, some even wearing shorts and sandals. I think many would get caught out not realizing how cold it will be closer to the glacier. 

Can you see the people (specks) on the rise ahead of us? (click on the photo to enlarge)

Looking back down the valley with the sheer sided walls of the mountains that line the south side of the valley. Thousands of  years ago Fox Glacier filled this valley and flowed out towards the coast some 30kms away. You'll recall that Lake Matheson is a kettle lake left behind as the glacier withdrew.

The track cuts in close to Fox River and the terminal face is now in clear view....and those little specks on the track aren't getting any bigger.

It looks pretty benign here as we pass another warning sign, but this is where the river surge flows after heavy rain or when the terminal face calves sending torrents of water and icebergs down the river.

We finally reach the bottom of the climb up to the lookout, it's steep, rocky and slippery underfoot. And if to taunt us, on this quite tough, gut-busting climb, there are signs all the way up saying no stopping for 400mtrs. Like that's going to happen. Not. I'll rather take my chances with a wayward boulder than have my lungs burst.

Not far now David, one foot in front of the other; slowly, slowly does it.

And how the heck did he get up here before us! Tricked were you? 

And there in all it's glory, is Fox Glacier. Well in fact, not all it's glory because it's 13km long and reaches up and around the corner over the top of the deep crevasses. Glaciers constantly advance and retreat depending on the snow gathered in the upper catchment area and the ice melting in the lower part. Both Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers were generally advancing from 1985 until 2009, they are currently in a retreating phase.

The glacier terminal face is constantly moving in this highly changeable environment. We can hear a distant rumble and cracking sound as a few chunks of ice drop of the side and fall into the river below. 

It's hard to get some perspective so I found a photo on the web which has people in it at the face, you can now see how tiny they are. This is where two tourists (brothers) were killed when they ignored the signs and barriers, and climbed down to check the face out. They were buried under an ice fall when the glacier calved blocks of ice the size of small cars.

Higher up the glacier, and where it flows around the corner, deep crevasses have opened up. I love the colour of the glacier, the soft aqua of solid ice and the steel gray of the moraine as it's pushed down and aside by the flow. It reminds me of soft whipped icecream. And as much as I love it, David dislikes it, he thinks it looks dirty is always disappointed when we see a glacier. I think he's been watching too much TV, he thinks it should be pristine white, crisp, clean and smooth!

Thoroughly disillusioned he heads back down the track (he wasn't really, it just suits my photo!) 

There's a steady trickle of people walking the track but not so many as to make it feel like Piccadilly Station. I bet in the summer the track would have a solid row of 'ants' moving back and forward across it.

And one last photo of the glacier as we make our way back to the carpark- I can't get enough of this amazing and majestic landscape. In this photo you can see people at the lookout, tiny black dots (click on the photo to enlarge). Fox (and Franz Josef) Glacier move at approximately 10 times the speed of other valley glaciers around the world. This is due to the funnel shape of the valley and the huge nevé, the snow accumulation area at the top of the glacier. Fox's nevé is 36 square kms, larger than the whole of Christchurch city.

And here is another photo from the web, Fox Glacier in 2006, just 10 years ago and you can see how far the glacier has retreated in just that short time. The waterfall you can see at the top right is in fact out of my picture above, just the bottom of the waterfall can be seen on the right.

We stop half way down the access road to check out the swingbridge that crosses the Fox River. The 70m suspension bridge was built in 1929 to provide access for the many visitors who walked up the valley from the Fox village, a walk that took them most of the day.

The road on the south side of the river wasn't constructed until the late 1930s, and then visitors still had to cross the bridge and walk to the terminal face. The north side road (the one we arrived on) wasn't built until the mid 1940s.

It was getting late but we drove over to the south side of the river and up that road to check out a couple of walks and to if there was a view from further away. The signs at the beginning of the road said 'No Campervans', but we know how many choose to ignore them so this barrier a little further on should stop them in their tracks. And there's even a turning bay just before the barrier so those who think they are smarter than the average bear can turn around.

The lush vibrant rainforest forms a living tunnel as the road gets narrower and we climb along the base of the mountains that form the glacier valley.

We stop to check out a warm spring on the side of the road; it's bubbling up ever so slightly in the back corner and trickling down a rock face leaving a stained sulphur trail behind and the water is luke warm. I wonder if anyone has tried bathing in here, it'd be a tight fit.

Our next stop is at a small lookout and through a gap in the trees I see another familiar sight from my stamp collecting days...

                                

 

We have a good view of the top of the glacier, which we couldn't see from the north side of the river, and Douglas Peak (3077m) behind.

We carried on to the carpark at the end of the road where we stopped for a cup of tea but decided to leave the Chalet Lookout Walk for another time, the temperature was dropping fast and it was time to head back to Franz Josef before the road over the saddle iced up. 

Two days later the Fox Glacier walk closed for a number of days due to flooding and a big rock fall. 

Here's the blog on Franz Josef Glacier should you want to compare.

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