Halfway down the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island are two conspicuous reminders that this country is closer to Antarctica than most people realize. These are the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, hulking astroid ice blocks that surge from the base of the Southern Alps towards the coast. Eponymous towns have sprung up around each glacier. Their small populations cater to (and live off) the steady flow of tourists who pay anywhere from $115 to $700 to walk/ice-pick/helicopter-hike a taste of the ice age.
Franz Josef has a reputation for being “more touristy,” which is a subtler way of saying “more expensive.” Being the budget-conscious travelers we are, we opted for the $115 Fox Trot, described in the brochure as “a half-day eco-adventure full of variety and interest.”
Here is a first-hand account of our experience:
Fox Guides run six daily Fox Trot tours. Ours is the last of the afternoon and departs at 4:30. The group is comprised of 28 tourists and 2 guides, who conduct a brief safety lecture and Q&A before we head to the glacier. Our group contains families with young children and older couples, which makes the three of us (Meg, my mom and me) less anxious about slipping on a wet patch and ending up in a canyon. A gray-haired lady with a bandana asks our guide Dora if she can bring binoculars on the hike. Dora responds that she’s never heard that question before, but sure.
On the bus ride to the glacier’s parking lot we sit at the front and get to know our guides. Oddly enough, they’re both from New England. The male guide, Josh, is ecstatic about this. He’s a huge Patriots fan and I think we instantly become his favorite trio on the tour. Dora isn’t as energetic, but I get the feeling she’s tired from a long day and an even longer week. I’m also a little disappointed she gives me a straight-faced “no” when I ask if she thinks it’s funny that her name is Dora and she ended up working in the adventure industry. Oh well.
Our bus turns off the main road and we’re suddenly ambushed by green. Leaves and vines scrape against our windows. They’re so green that the best word to describe them is lush. I’m a bit confused since we’re headed to a glacier and because of this, even though January is the southern hemisphere’s July, we all wore pants and four layers of shirts. Not only am I confused by the climate, but I’m jealous of a young Swedish couple wearing shorts and cotton t-shirts. It appears they will not be perspiring as much as us today.
Off the bus we split into two groups. I quickly lead us to Josh’s group because it’s a Tuesday and the Patriots season isn’t over yet and I haven’t talked “American” football with another guy (at least face-to-face) in over 12 weeks. Josh gives us a quick science lesson before we begin the trot.
Like Western economies (and George Costanza), glaciers experience periods of growth and shrinkage. Over the last century, however, most glaciers have receded as a result of rising temperatures (cue Al Gore). Fox Glacier bucked the global trend with a period of growth from 1984 to 2009–it reached the green edge of the above photograph–due to conducive westerly winds and increased snow fall. But in the last four years it has receded dramatically, which explains the baffling rain forest climate that has emerged near the edge of the glacier.
Finally, we start the “scenic 60 minute hike” towards the terminal face. The brochure is full of these little half truths. The hike is indeed scenic. But the 60 minutes would be closer to 20 if we didn’t stop every fifty meters to take pictures or listen to Josh catch up with another tour guide. (Interesting fact about the tour guides: it sounded like all of them under 30 were American, or possibly Canadian, adding further evidence to our theory that all kiwis under 30 have fled the country or simply don’t exist).
Our scenic hike leads us to a flat grey-area between the rocky path and the icy climb onto the glacier. The sun feels further away here and I’m starting to think I made the right decision by wearing my fleece, although the Swedish couple seem content in their tee-shirts. At this point we are given a walking pole and instructed to fasten our crampons as tightly as possible lest they slide off and we fall to certain death.
The ice is as slippery as I expected. The crampons take some getting used to–if you step with your toes then your foot will slide a few inches before the spikes sink in, which is unsettling–but we finally learn how to take high steps and plant the center of our boots. The ice’s composition, however, is different than I expected. It has a cookies-and-cream look, owing to millions of deposited rocks embedded at all levels of the surface. (Interesting fact about the ice: it’s not much older than 70 years, which kills my fantasy of interacting with the ice-age).
Burrrrr. In the middle of the glacier the temperature suddenly drops. The wind picks up and the Swedish couple starts shivering involuntarily. I’m no longer jealous of their wardrobe decision, but I am worried they might lose a finger or something if their skin turns any bluer. Fortunately Josh packed two extra jackets and morale is restored. #hero
We spend almost two hours on the glacier and it’s a very surreal experience. We peer down bottomless canyons, climb man-made steps and squeeze through claustrophobic crevices. The awe-inspiring scenery is juxtaposed with constant reminders of how commercialized this giant ice block is. We pass roughly a dozen other Fox Trot groups and witness five helicopters transporting tourists to the top of the glacier for the $700 option.
Hiking the glacier felt like an odd combination of walking on the moon and accidentally stepping onto the set of a Dentyne Ice commercial. I’m glad we did it and I don’t regret spending $115. Chances are I won’t have many other chances to walk on a glacier. But I wish the sheer commercialization of the experience wasn’t so obvious. I realize this is picky and unrealistic. After all, we are tourists who paid to tour a unique landmark. But it just felt a bit too contrived. At least we chose the “less touristy” glacier.
Up next: I’ve been terrible about publishing this article. It’s been way too long since our last post–Meg has reminded me every day that “our readership is suffering.” So I apologize for the radio silence but promise our posts will become more regular. We’ve been traveling around the South Island and Australia for the past month, but we’ve finally picked a place to settle down for the rest of our trip. Meg will bring you up to speed on the details soon….
I want to be back in NZ!!!! Reliving our glacier experience makes me want to be there with you guys!!! I will always hold January, 2013 very dear to my heart!! Love you both!!
Enjoy your summer. Skied Stratton last week and it was like skiing on a Glacier! Tabor sent all kids home last Friday for the Blizzard. Sam turns 20 next week. Allegra starting to look at colleges. Isabella chasing boys. Joy and i empty nesters.
Your readership is so glad to hear from you. When you return State-side, come and visit us in Seattle. We’ve got a few glaciers to show you.
Awesome Pictures! I will put NZ on my bucket list!
Great post and good to hear from you guys. It was quite the storm here over the weekend; very beautiful the next day although much of Marion still without power. Enjoy summer!
Meg, Elliot You guys should follow my blog K.S.B for Carver were all about getting us a new school! And by the way KEEP POSTING!
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