Day 44: Franz Josef Glacier

So the lesson you can learn from reading my blog is to never trust the things I say. I thought I was going to leave Franz Josef today for Greymouth, but it turns out I actually had a ticket for tomorrow, so given the option to spend another day in Franz Josef, I took the opportunity.

I woke up with the immediate desire to find a way to the famous Franz Josef Glacier. There were several companies in town that offered tours, but most of them were expensive helicopter rides to the actual glacier. There was one however that just led to a nice view of the glacier. This seemed more my speed and budget.

I ventured into the town of Franz Josef, a small town made mostly of hostel and hotel complexes. I think the tourism that comes from being close to the glacier makes up for a lot of the towns economy.

Google Maps seemed to lead me astray and after several laps around the block, I couldn't find any building that seemed to be offering the tour I was looking for. Undeterred, I remembered seeing a "glacier shuttle" at my hostel, so I returned. I asked the reception desk when the next shuttle would arrive, they said 2:45pm. This gave me a couple of hours to kill. Which I took full advantage of.

When I ventured into town one of the biggest buildings I saw was one advertising a look at the world's rarest Kiwis. I had seen something like this in Queenstown, but it was too expensive and was going to close soon, so I had to move on. But now I had the time.

I entered into a large Kiwi-themed gift shop and cafe, but in the back was a desk selling tickets to the rest of the building. I was fortunate enough to get a significant discount for staying at one of the hostels, and I was in.

I walked through a door into a dark hallway. The room was dimly lit with a railed wooden pathway down the middle. On the left was the Kiwi exhibit. The sounds of the New Zealand nighttime trickled out of hidden speakers. Immediately to my left, just past the guard rail, was the first Kiwi I have ever seen. After having this experience, I must say that Kiwis are the most adorable bird on the planet. They're like a pillow with legs and a beak.

The Kiwi was busily tearing apart a log using his feet and beak to get at whatever was inside the log. I watched for a few minutes before moving down the walkway. There was another Kiwi by a water bowl having a drink. These specific species (Rowi or Brown Kiwi) are the rarest type of Kiwi. What small population of them is left in the wild lives in a small forest nearby Franz Josef. This building is a large factor in keeping the species alive.

Years ago when animals like stoats, cats, dogs, possums, and rats were introduced to New Zealand by European settlers, the Kiwi faced a problem. Many of these animals hunted the flightless birds with ease, while rats and possums competed with it for food. I hope all goes well for the Kiwi, it would be a shame for something as awesome as the Kiwi to disappear.

After the Kiwi exhibit there were exhibits with information on the glacier and the pioneers who settled on the west coast many years ago. I used what time I had to soak up as much information as I could before I had to head back to my hostel to catch the shuttle.

The shuttle just took me to the parking lot, not all the way up to the glacier. The forty-five minute walk I had to do on my own, but I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much any other way. The first fifteen minutes follow a path through the rainforest before giving way to an immense glacial valley. Hundreds of years ago the Franz Josef Glacier would have stood tall in the very area that I walked today, but since then it has receded significantly. Thanks global warming.

Meltwater from the glacier carved its way through the center of the valley, and was joined by an uncountable amount of waterfalls pouring from the mountains on either side. A loose path through the rocks and rubble that had once been covered in ice weaved its way up the the face of the glacier. At one point I had to cross a small river, using stepping stones that I sometimes had to place myself. This is the kind of thing that boots would have been nice for, but I made it through with relatively dry feet.

So many fantastic waterfalls.

The glacial valley with meltwater running through it. Once upon a time this whole area was covered by the Franz Josef Glacier.

The small river I had to hop across.

The scenery is distracting, but at times you really do have to watch where you step.

The final hike up a hill of rocks finally exposed the sheer ice cliff that was the furthest extent of the glacier. For safety reasons the path only went within a fair distance of the ice, but it was still quite something to behold. Clouds hid the ice's rise up to the peak of the mountain, but informational signs told me the glacier ran for nearly four kilometers up into the mountains, where tons of snow fell every day, constantly adding to the packed ice that made up the glacier.

The glacier. It's more magnificent in person, and tough to get the scale of it with the fog.

Once again New Zealand surprised me with a fantastic day that I did not see coming. Last night I thought my time in Franz Josef was already over, but in less than a days notice I found something that amazed me. I seriously couldn't believe my luck as I stood in that valley today. I looked around at the towering mountains covered in rainforest, capped by clouds, waterfalls pouring down, and I knew that this was something I will remember for the rest of my life. Even if I didn't have another week and a half in this amazing country, New Zealand would already hold a very special place in my heart.

Tomorrow I really do go to Greymouth, where I'm sure my great New Zealand experience will continue. So until then thank you for reading and here's to tomorrow.