Famous Fox Glacier

Fox Glacier, New Zealand -- Day 2

The west coast is wet, wet, wet. We found the following poem in the campground lobby, which sums it up pretty well.

It rained and rained and rained

The average fall was well maintained

And when the trails were simple bogs

It started raining cats and dogs

After a drought of half an hour

We had a most refreshing shower

And then most curious thing of all

A gentle rain began to fall

Next day but one was fairly dry

Save for one deluge from the sky

Which wetted the party to the skin

And then at last the rain set in

During my run this morning, there was no shortage of helicopters taking off to tour the glaciers. The nearby Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, just a few kilometers from the ocean, are noteworthy for their easy accessibility and their existence among temperate rain forest. It is the incredible snowfall here that makes them possible at this latitude. Despite that, they have receded dramatically over the last couple centuries, and particularly over the last decade or two. When I was here in ‘97, it was quite simple to join a tour, throw on some crampons, and hike on top of the ice and snow. These days, they have receded so far the only way to actually hike on the glaciers is with a helicopter tour.

Short of a helicopter tour, the low budget alternative to view the glacier is to drive a couple kilometers up the valley and then walk half an hour to a viewpoint 450 m from the the face. The end of the glacier is not particularly pretty with more dirt and rocks than ice at the surface. Still, the rain let up, and the glacier valley was very pretty, even more so with the misty clouds shrouding the higher peaks. De Ann, with her rock obsession, has made us much more observant and appreciative of the amazing variety.

Face of the Fox Glacier

Beautiful valley.  Where the glacier use to be.

The rest of the day was spent at the camp. De Ann and Meg went shopping after we returned and apparently “forgot” to pay for the drinks they had afterwards. Hmph! Guess I wasn't invited! Meanwhile, Dex and I played a game of chess with the two foot high outdoor set. I only won by relentlessly attacking to keep him from focusing on my vulnerable king. The camp pedal car provided entertainment for the kids for the rest of the afternoon, and after dinner we piled into the van to play cards and, as normal, read De Ann to sleep with Little Women. Our camp neighbor from Germany stopped by to ask about the van and laughed heartily when he learned that there were five of us nestled inside!