Franz Joseph & Fox Glacier

We arrived into Franz Joseph from Jacksons Bay exhausted from driving.  The roads had been widening and narrowing in haphazard ways and the bridges, oh the bridges.  All one way and mighty slim!  Even at 10kms an hour they were entertaining! It was like some running joke as each one seemed to compete with the last as to how narrow it could be.  The winner being, the one just prior to Franz Joseph.  Not only remarkably narrow but as we crossed it made loud creaking and groaning noises.  I'll admit to my heart thumping a little lounder on that one!! The west coast roads are definitely a different experience in a heavy vehicle.

I was fairly adament we weren't going to drive another km for days on end after that trip.  I hoped that, like childbirth, the memories of pain would fade with time!!!  With grumpy exhausted kids I hoped that over the coming days we were going to be able to convince them that "sure it'll be fun" and "yes, of course you want to go for a walk...in the rain".

I wasn't so sure.

So we settled into our park up camp and apprehensively looked forward to the explorations to come.  We were treated to a spectacular show of wildlife by some local birds whose habitat was in the surrounding bush.  As natures heirarchy insists, one set of birds (?hawks) had sadly stolen anothers baby.  The bereaved parent bird sat in the branches watching helplessly.  See the photo above.  I was wondering if you knew what type of bird it is, as I don't?   Not often we have been so close to large birds.

We stayed for 6 nights in the end.  I never knew there was so much to do in Franz Joseph.  Each new day we joyously participated in the routine that went something like...

"Right, let's go on an adventure"

"Nooooo, I don't want to go for a walk"

"Yup, come on it'll be fun"

"Noooooo, it's boring, I hate walking, I don't want to, Why do we have to.  I'm staying here".....

"Because it will be fun, there will be new things to see.  Glaciers, you'll see glaciers - they're interesting, hundreds of years old.  Come on it'll be great"

20 minutes more of grumbling while being hustled into shoes, jackets, water bottles, sandfly spray,......

Then into the car and off we'd go (grumbling not quite complete).

Yet despite the routine, it is possibly the thing I have enjoyed the most about the last few weeks.  All the walking.  Sadly, our children don't share in our enthusiasm for such activities.  Every time we have set off to follow a trail it has led to incredible discoveries, views and breath taking bush.  We have found old gold mining tunnels, beautiful lakes, stunning rivers and waterfalls, swing bridges, and old forests full of native wonders.

We walked our way up the Franz Joseph Glacier.  Being able to see the glacier at a distance we only made it part way along the track before the boys decided they'd had enough walking.  So we stopped at the waterfalls and had a daytime waterfall shower instead.  There is something glorious about lying on a rock staring up at a thundering waterfall cascasing down with the droplets sprinkling upon your face and the blue sky beyond.  

A few days later we repeated the grumbling routine and set off for Fox Glacier.  Having last been there in 2005 with our eldest as a 6 month old babe on my back I was fascinated to see just how far it had retreated since then.  

It was completely unrecognisable.  I was shocked to see just how different it was.  It is definitely the more spectacular of the two glaciers because of the sheer black cliffs in the valley that it has retreated up and ginormous rocks that are balanced percariously in crevices just above the valley floor.  

We made it right up to the viewing platform of this glacier and breathed in the glorious mountain air.  Even the boys had to admit to it being "pretty cool".

 

Posted by Angela