Fox Glacier

We started early that day leaving our accommodations by seven o’clock in the morning. Before our stop at our next hotel for lunch, we stopped by a waterfall that could produce a visual illusion. If you looked at it for a while and then looked at the rain forest just next to it, the forest would divide into three parts. The middle part seems to move up while both of the sides move down. Apparently, Maori legend says that if you cannot see the illusion you are a bad person. However, I do not believe that just one waterfall in particular that would do this. If I remember, I am going to try that trick with random waterfalls such as with Yosemite falls to see if I can get the same effect.

At another brief rest stop with an amazing view, I just came across the cutest baby. He had such a quirky smile that I had to take his picture.

After another hamburger for lunch, remember I went to Furgburger. I walked across the street to the building where the glacier guides were located. 

We traveled to fox glacier by bus and parked on what appeared to be a crushed asphalt parking lot. According to our guides, we were actually on top of ice from the glacier that is slowly melting. Every year they have to pile more asphalt on to keep the parking lot at the same level.

Once we got near, the river had turned from the beautiful blue to a dark gray from the concentrated particles of dirt. However, right near the glacier there were small ponds were you could observe the change in color of the water from gray to blue as the particles were diluted.

Pretty soon into the hike we went of onto a roped off area. They roped off the trail because last year two Australians went to near the glacier and were killed by falling ice.

Soon we were climbing through temperate rain forest right next to a glacier.

On the way, there was a stop at a drinkable stream.

Once at the edge of the glacier, we put on half crampons, and started walking up ice steps to the top of the glacier.

Once on glacier one of the German tourist had brought snaps with her some snaps. Each of us took as swig and took a picture of us looking down on the camera while in a circle. Sadly, my camera was not used, you have to take my word for it.

Not only was the view from the top of the glacier was beautiful. There were a few water filled holes on the ice, one was deep enough that when we threw a wood hiking stick down into it disappeared before it popped up again.

As you can guess fox glacier was the high point of that day. Due to rain and construction a tour of some local caves with glowworms was canceled, and the dinner that night could have used a lot of improvement. But I did see a hilarious show were guys did a bunch of stunts with water boats and jet skies and hurt themselves a lot.