Glaciers

From Punakaiki and the Tasman Sea we drove a couple hours down the coast to Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. Franz Josef is one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world. It has been moving forward for years, bucking the trend of receding glaciers around the world.



This is the approach to Franz Josef. You walk up a wide, flat valley flanked by rocks that have been pushed and marked by the moving glaciers.




If you look in the bottom right corner of this picture you can see people climbing up the corner of the glacier. With a guide you could strap on some crampons and make your way up the face. There was also the option to take a helicopter halfway up and play around on the glacier.

The color of this glacial lake on the way to Fox Glacier never got old. It was like the ocean but you knew it was colder than cold. Most of glacial run off has this color or a slate blue color.