glacier

Fox Glacier

an idea of how quickly the glacier is melting

foot of Fox Glacier

vibrant algae in glacier pool

edge of the glacial valley

Franz Josef up close

What makes NZ so famously beautiful is mainly due to the work of glaciers. The impressive mountains that plunge into Sounds or Fiords (deep, skinny, lake-esque bays) are the result of glaciers sliding past at the incredible pace of 24 feet a day. The gorgeous meadows that stretch through the valleys grow where glaciers once were. After shaping these two islands for thousands of years, only two glaciers remain. We first visited Fox glacier, the smaller of the two. After a 30-minute walk up the glacial valley we were at the foot starring up at an alarmingly small patch of ice. In the glacial stream that pours out from underneath the ice there were huge chunks of ice that have been breaking off. We then drove 20K to the Franz Josef Glacier, which is significantly larger. It stretches so far back into the mountain range that you cannot see the end of it. The deep ice reflects a beautiful brilliant blue light. The valleys are full of small rock that has been crushed off the mountains by the glacier making it look more like a gravel yard than a natural wonder. We feel lucky to have been able to see these before they are forever gone. But I couldn’t help but feel a deep sadness as we passed the markers of where the glacier used to be just a few decades ago.