Monday, April 10, 2000

Our Trip to Franz-Josef and Fox Glaciers

09-Apr-00 thru 10-Apr-00

These glaciers are accessible from the South Island's west coast and are noteworthy because they descend through temperate rainforest. Franz Joseph glacier is not named for the popular (at SJSU anyway) late '80s singer Frank Joseph, but for a previous Austrian emperor.


 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)
 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

Franz Josef Glacier from our hotel

According to the sign at Fox Glacier; It takes about 150 years for the lichen to re-grow (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

Evidence of glacial presence in the recent past
According to the sign at Fox Glacier; It takes about 150 years for the lichen to re-grow

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

Franz Josef Glacier

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

One of the dozens of waterfalls littering the gorge

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

This waterfall empties on top of the glacier

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

The gorge from atop Franz-Josef

We were able to climb up here with these devices called "Talonz" by the guide (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

Talonz
We were able to climb up here with these devices called "Talonz" by the guide

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)
 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

The terrain atop the glacier is anything but flat

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

Heroes on the Glacier!

What appears as earth - sometimes complete with vegetation, is actually dirt on top of the snow (The Travel Addicts, New Zealand, South Island)

Dirty Snow?
What appears as earth - sometimes complete with vegetation, is actually dirt on top of the snow

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

The colour of the glacier was amazing

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

The texture of the glacier was also amazing

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

The mouth of Franz-Josef Glacier

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

Franz-Josef Glacier in sepia

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)
 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

Reflection in a glacial pool below Fox Glacier

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)
 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)
 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)
 (The Travel Addicts, New Zealand, South Island)

The mouth of Fox Glacier produces some neat ice flows

According to a sign here, you can pick out three stages of growth - the clean rock farthest away marks the most recent terrain, the red in the middle marks the second stage and the green the oldest.    It takes 150 years for a forest to reach maturity after the ice has gone - and that is if the frequent landslides don't wipe it away (The Travel Addicts, New Zealand, South Island)

Tricolour
According to a sign here, you can pick out three stages of growth - the clean rock farthest away marks the most recent terrain, the red in the middle marks the second stage and the green the oldest. It takes 150 years for a forest to reach maturity after the ice has gone - and that is if the frequent landslides don't wipe it away

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

The texture of Fox Glacier

 (New Zealand, The Travel Addicts, South Island)

A Fox on Fox :-)

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