Fox Glacier

Above: Hari and Sharon squeeze into one of the many ice caves found on Fox Glacier.

Above: Hari the explorer.... luckily the pick axe wielding was left to the more experienced Sherpa guide who took us on a wonderful tromp over this amazing glacier. Below: One of the many incredibly beautiful ice caves.

Fox Glacier is the larger of New Zealand's two temperate rain forest zone glaciers of which there are only 10 worldwide. Fox Glacier falls 2600m over 13km to a terminal face just under 300m above sea level. It is fed by 4 other glaciers and shares a common neve with Franz Josef Glacier. Since 1985 it has been advancing at an average rate of a metre a day. The heavy precipitation from the Tasman Sea falls as snow at the higher levels of the Southern Alps to be compacted as ice. Glacial speed down the steep incline is around 80 years for the full trip.

Above: Hari and Sharon....from Dancing Queens to ice queens.

Below: the group was air-lifted onto the glacier for our hike on the ice. The morning was crystal clear, despite the previous day's downpour.

Above: A rainbow over the terminal face (edge) of Fox Glacier, the day before our heli hike adventure.