Franz Josef

The drive up to Franz Josef was a very enjoyable one. We passed the second most famous glacier in Nz which was Fox and went to the 'view of views', which is one the favourite postcards in the South Island - the view across a lake of Mt cook. It was pretty cloudy we didn't get to see it, and instead drove on to Franz Josef booked ourselves on a massive 8 hour glacier hike, and headed on to a campsite. The main reason for going to this campsite, apart from the fact it was very cheap, was that it had a BBQ. The so-called BBQ was not more than a metal tin with a massive fat grate, but there was a burnt log in it, so it looked hopeful. To get the BBQ was a total MISSION. We were there for literally hours trying to get something going. Although we were surrounded by real dense jungle, everything was just that little bit damp. We started in the day and it was pitch black before we got a few pathetic ember going. The plumes of smoke however, kept the black flies at bay slightly! The second problem was the grate was far too thick and too far away from the ember to cook anything,so we ended up borrowing some tin foil and wrapping up our burgers and bacon and putting on top of the embers. We had them on a long time, and although we couldn't see to well, they tasted lovely and we weren't sick the next day, but stank of smoke!

The next day was the glacier trek. It was a full 8 hours with 6 hours ice time. There were only 9 in the group and after being kitted out with waterproofs and crampons (shoe spike to walk on the ice) we headed to the glacier terminal. It took us about 45v Min's to walk right to the edge of the glacier - as it was so massive it looks a lot closer. There was cave right at the front, but were warned against going in to it. Apparently a couple of days before a stupid guy went in and had his knee cap blown off with exploding ice. 10 Min's after he was airlifted to hospital there were more people climbing in to the cave over the barriers, unbelievable!

The first couple of hours were the steepest. As the glacier is so dynamic, a new path and steps have to be cut in to the ice. We past the sections of the glacier that the half and 3 quarter day trippers went on, and went deeper in to the glacier. This glacier was only 1 of 3 glaciers end in temperate rain forest - the other being Fox and the other in South America. This view was lost when we got in to the deep crevices. The blue ice was amazing. There was one tunnel we were allowed to go in 2 by 2 as the entrance was really small and the tunnel really low. I was the only one in the group with gloves on and they were sticking everywhere in the cold, Elliott tried his tongue, but luckily it didnt stick!

We continued on. In this section it was a part that people hadednt been on, so the guide cut some steps with a massive pick axe. Steps gives the impression that it was an easy hike, and it certainly wasnt that. The view was amazing with sheer walls of ice towering above you and tiny passages to climb up. We were all over the place, you really had to dig in your crampons, and the drops on to solid ice were scarey. We stopped for lunch and were sat n the ice. You had to eat you lunch quick becasue your arse was numb in minutes! The last hours were spectacular, as we passed through natuarrly formed tunnels and caves. As we reached the end of it i was glad of somewhere to sit down without feeling numb. The glacier was amazing and something I would recommend to everyone, its so beautiful. The treck was pretty hard going and I was aching. Photo below - we made it, we reached the top.

After a few hours we set off on the raod again to see some glow worms at Hokitika. We had to wait until nightfall to see them in a dell, and they were well worth the drive. They look pretty gross in the day, but in the night there were hundreds of specks of light that looked like stars. x