12 Jan 2011 - Franz Josef Glacier to Wanaka

This morning we woke to rain – not serious rain but drizzly with low clouds.  We really were pleased that we had been on the Glacier yesterday and had been to Lake Matheson and Fox Glacier the day before since this would not be the day to do so.  We are heading off today for a long drive to get to Wanaka which is on Lake Wanaka.  

The drive is not too much of a bother other than the cost of gas in Franz Josef is $2.21 per liter. 

As we drive we are reminded of the great views we are enjoying and find ourselves comparing them to areas of BC that we know.

The scenic road over Haast Pass, the southern gateway to the West Coast, is most stunning.  The journey offered a variable landscape of rainforest, wetlands, lakes, glacier-fed rivers and white water rapids.  For example we were driving along and crossed a single lane bridge (one of many on this highway) and wondered why so many people were walking along the bridge looking down.  We decided to pull off and discovered “The Gates of Haast” which is a narrow gorge with rushing water through the rocks foaming white water rapids.  We took pictures from the bridge and then found the path down to below the bridge for closer pictures.  We did not stay long since sand flies where present.

As we passed just north of Makarora, located within the World Heritage listed Mount Aspiring National Park we saw a sign for the Blue Pools Walk.  Curiosity got the better of us so again we stopped to check them out. We followed a carefully maintained gravel path and boardwalks that wound through a native silver beech forest and lead to a swing bridge strung high above the Makarora River. The views back to the mountains of the Main Divide are absolutely breath-taking.  The track continued deep into the forest, with bellbird and tui calls echoing through the trees, to a series of crystal clear pools that have been carved out of the rocks by centuries of erosion.  The glacier-fed water in these deep pools is the colour of deep azure blue, and so clear that you can see right to the bottom, making the resident brown trout look like they are suspended in the air.  There were several hardy souls swimming in the pool which must have been really cold.  Wes was disappointed that he did not bring his swimming trunks otherwise I would have a picture of him in the water I am sure.

We continued onward after this short walk to find ourselves driving along beside a large lake.  As we checked the map we learned that we would be driving beside Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea.  The interesting thing is that first we were beside Lake Wanaka and then the road had to move over to Lake Hawea and we followed that road to the end and swung back around a mountain/hill to reach the end of Lake Wanaka – our destination.  If you look at a map you see that Lake Wanaka stays on the west side of a mountain but the road has to go over the mountain at the end.

Once we got settled in at Wanaka we headed to Mount Iron to climb to the summit. Mount Iron is an impressive, glacier carved, rocky knoll that rises nearly 250 metres above the surrounding countryside. As a result, from the summit there are excellent 360-degree views of the The Pisa range, the Upper Clutha Basin, Lake Wanaka and the Southern Alps/Kā Tiritiri o te Moana.

We returned to the campsite to discover that the wind in this area is very strong.  We do not need to be concerned about sandflies with the type of wind we had but at the same time it is refreshing.  The clouds are still hovering around the mountains but in this area the sun is shining so we are all good.

At dinner time we went to the camp kitchen and met several really interesting and nice people.  In particular we learned that this Saturday is an Iron Man competition and one of the ladies was here to participate in her first one.  She is 51 and seems to be ready (although very nervous).  Others here to support and encourage her are her husband, their two kids, and another family with their kids.  We spent several hours visiting with them and had a wonderful time.

11 Jan 2011 – Franz Josef Glacier

Today is the day we will be taking an adventure tour on the glacier.  We will be picked up at 10:30 so we have a relaxing start to the day.  However, when we stepped out of the van we were looking at clouds, low clouds.  It did not feel like rain but we had hoped to have wonderful views from on the glacier.  We hoped that by the time we headed out the clouds would lift but they did not.

We had to be prepared for sun or rain, warm or cold, wet or dry, so it was much like preparing for a hike in the spring time back home.  Fortunately we have all the necessary gear except for the crampons.  So we headed off to get things ready by putting on the sunscreen in hopes of sunshine.   At the office before leaving we went through an assembly line where everyone was checked and supplied with any gear needed including boots, socks, waterproof pants and cortex jackets.  We only needed to be outfitted with the crampons.

We were picked up right on schedule from the campsite and taken into town to the location of the Franz Josef Glacier Guides.  Our group consisted of about 50 people and 4 guides.  The apparent goal is to create 4 groups of about 12 to 13 hikers per group.  We drove out to the glacier parking lot in a large bus that was full to capacity.  This is a very popular hike.  We learned that the license for this guiding company is 500 hikers per day but it is split between the ½ day hike (what we were on), full day hikes, helicopter hikers and ski plane hikers.   As well there are lots of people walking up the trail to the foot of the glacier without a guide. However, they are not allowed to climb up on the glacier because of the potential hazards.

The glacier’s oldest ice is about 80 years old.  It is fed from a huge basin where up to 40 meters of snow accumulate each winter.  (Information from the net)  The glacier is currently 12 km long and terminates 19 km from the Tasman Sea. Fed by a 20 square kilometers (7.7 sq mi) large snowfield at high altitude, it exhibits a cyclic pattern of advance and retreat, driven by differences between the volume of melt water at the foot of the glacier and volume of snowfall feeding the névé. Due to strong snowfall it is one of the few glaciers in New Zealand which is still growing as of 2007, while others, mostly on the eastern side of the Southern Alps, have been shrinking heavily, a process attributed to global warming.

Having retreated several kilometers between the 1940s and 1980s, the glacier entered an advancing phase in 1984 and at times has advanced at the phenomenal (by glacial standards) rate of 70 cm a day. The flow rate is about 10 times that of typical glaciers.  Of course we really saw very little of the glacier and with the constant movement there is a lot of changes each day.  The guides indicated that the trails they use are often changing because of the movement and new crevices forming.  The most one could remember the glacier moving was 8 meters a day but the normal is closer to 2 meters per day.  They are constantly checking and re-routing the paths taken for the tours.

At any rate, we arrived at the trailhead for the hike and had to walk across the flats towards the toe of the glacier.  As you can imagine even though the glacier is not receding at this time, there is still a long distance walk (about 30 minutes) to get to the beginning of the climb.  When we got to the toe, we started to climb up the face on the left side which is a moraine of ice with rocks covering.  This also involved daily changes as the movement creates rock slides and cracks to be avoided.

At the top we stopped to put on our crampons which were interesting since they have to fit correctly.  We also were given instructions on how to walk with crampons which was funny to listen but for those who have used snowshoes you will understand.  I was in shorts so put on my gaiters at this point to protect myself against the potential poke from a crampon (never happened actually).

We started off again but we had to be slower than the group in front of us since there is only one path and no way to pass or be passed.  Our first challenge was to walk on the ice steps and then we were marched over to a ‘ice tunnel’ where we dropped our packs and crawled through.  This was very interesting and for those of us with no pant legs and no gloves, it was also cool.

We continued up through narrow cracks in the ice, up steps built into the edge holding onto a rope to ensure no one fell backwards creating a bit of pileup.  Once we reached the first plateau of ice we had a chance to look around.  Because the ice flow is considered rapid, it does cause large crevices to open up but because there is no snow, all cracks and openings are easy to see.

Our guide was very interesting and really wanted to talk to Wes and I a lot about Canada.  He really was envious of us coming from Canada and especially the west.  He was disappointed to hear that we do not hunt or fish but he was interested in talking about the possibilities of hikes and the mountains of BC. 
As we stood at this plateau looking upward we realized that we were still only on the very tip and if we had signed up for the full day hike we would have been hiking much higher.  As we looked (and see pictures) we could see the ‘ants’ of people well above us.   Next time we will know better I suppose but I was really happy with the hike as it was.

The weather did not change at all and the clouds at first looked like they would lift off the top of the glacier, but that did not happen.  In fact the clouds seemed to drop lower.  By the time we got back to the tour bus to be taken back into town it started to spit on us.  I was glad then that we had only taken a ½ day hike since the rain on the ice field would not be pleasant.

Part of the package for the tour was a free entrance to the Glacier Hot Pools.   The pools are surrounded by native bush and fed with pure local glacier water.  This means that they were heated and the three pools had temperatures of 36, 38 and 40 degrees.  It was a great way to finish the day and both Wes and I felt relaxed and refreshed.  As a point of interest we found that even the 100 meter climb up the face of the glacier was not a hardship for us and we barely broke a sweat.  I would like to think we are in great shape, but it might have been that we went up so slowly we never got winded. 

10 Jan 2011 – Hokitika to Franz Josef Glacier

This morning we both woke feeling good and not that stiff from our workout yesterday.  This did surprise us both.   We are heading over to the Glacier country today but it will be an easy day without any plans for a heavy walk or hike.

Before we leave we need to do some grocery shopping and have a look around Hokitika.  This appears to be a small sized town but on the map it looks like it will be the largest for awhile.  After we get the groceries we notice the National Kiwi Center and decide to check it out.  This facility does have a couple of Kiwi birds as well as several other exhibits which include:The Tuiatara  (the largest living dinosaur); Whitebait fish pond which is referred to as “white gold”; Longfin eels which are endemic to New Zealand and are becoming endangered; Weta which is a unique insect to New Zealand (could not see it in the exhibit though), and of course the Kiwi which is an nocturnal bird so we could not take any pictures of them.  You will see other exhibits in my pictures that I have not mentioned as well.

After we finished wondering around the exhibit we decided we needed to fill up with gas since we were not sure where the next gas station might be.  Since we had a coupon for 4 cents off per litre at the BP we went looking for this station.  Karen (the GPS) took us out to the edge of town in one direction where the gas station has been changed to a different brand.  (No one told her I guess.)  So we turn around and head back into the center of town and discovered a BP on the way (we must have driven past it at least once and did not notice it.)   So feeling lucky we popped in to get gas only to watch as the attendant put up out of gas signs on the pumps.  Apparently they ran out of gas.  So we had to drive across the road to another station (non BP) to get our gas but by now we just want to get gassed up.

The meant that we are not looking at lunch time so we decided to stay in town and have lunch at a place right beside the Jade Factory.  Of course we then had to tour the Jade Factory and marvel at all the items that have been shaped, carved and etched into the polished rock.  It was interesting to see that some of the Jade they use is from BC although most is found locally.  One piece I really liked and would have considered bringing home as a souvenir was a mantel piece that had a Kiwi carved into the face of it with incredible detail.  The $9600 price tag convinced me it was to be admired but left behind.

As we drove up the highway along the Southern Alps we were constantly reminded of driving in the Rockies (especially in the Banff area).  The mountains here are very steep, lots of vegetation and all around us.  As we got closer to Franz Josef Glacier Township we started to get views of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook.   On both of these mountains is snow peaks and two glaciers run down from Mt Tasman.  Mt Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand at a height of 3,754 meters (12,316 ft) and Mt Tasman is the second tallest mountain at a height of 3,497 meters (11,473 ft).  Don’t worry; we are not climbing either to the peak.

The first thing we did after we got our campsite sorted was to book a Glacier Guided ½ day trip for tomorrow.  We will be picked up here at the campsite and will be guided on a hike up to and around the Glacier for 4 ½ hours.  Gear that we do not have (crampons) will be provided.  We are excited about this and the blog tomorrow will describe what we did.

Then we decided to head over to Lake Matheson where there are potential reflective pictures of both Mt Cook and Mt Tasman to be taken on the lake.  We enjoyed a walk around the lake where we were able to enjoy the views from “Jetty View Point”, “Views of all Views”, and “Reflection Island”.  The path followed along the edge of the lake but was mostly in the trees.  At Reflection Island we were able to stand on a platform extended over the water and watch an eel in the wild which was interesting since we had seen them for the first time this morning at the National Kiwi Center.  There was too much ripple on the water for a good reflection shot but Wes suggested that if I laid down on the platform and took the picture as low as possible I could get a reflection shot.  I did do it and got a poor quality one, but it is still better than nothing.

We left Lake Matheson to drive up to have a look at the Fox Glacier.  This involved a drive up Glacier View Road and a three foot walk from the parking lot.  Fed by four alpine glaciers, Fox Glacier falls 2,600m on its 13km journey from the Southern Alps down to the coast, with it having the distinction of being one of the few glaciers to end among lush rainforest only 300 meters above sea level. Although retreating throughout most of the last 100 years, it has been advancing since 1985. In 2006 the average rate of advance was about a meter a week. In January 2009, the terminal face of the glacier was still advancing and had vertical or overhanging faces which were continually collapsing.  The outflow of the glacier forms the Fox River.

Thus we ended our quiet and relaxing day of inactivity to recover from yesterday’s strenuous climb.  As I started to sort out the pictures we were told of a wonderful sunset so I did go out again to take a few more evening shots.  

PS… tonight we finally found and saw the Southern Cross after Wes spent some time on the internet exploring for instructions on how to find it.