Babbling Brooke’s Travel Blog

On January 4th, we awoke bright and early, hopeful that our last-minute charter to fly up and hike around Fox Glacier would get the “go” for good weather. We packed up the car (I’d like to think we’ve gotten really good at this by now) and drove the short distance down the street to Fox Glacier Guiding. We arrived nice and early as instructed and were told our morning flight was looking good to leave on time. We were stoked!

We were taken back for a safety briefing and then given rain pants, wool socks, sturdy boots, and gloves. They also had jackets available but Matt and I had brought our own. Lastly, we were given a red dry bag to put our belongings in. From there we were divided into groups and all hopped on a bus that took us to the airfield where we got our first look at the helicopters we’d be flying in!

We were also given numbers that referenced which order we would be boarding the aircraft and, when it was time to head to the helicopter, we went out single file. The engines were on and the blades were running- it was getting real!

I lucked out with a window seat the ride up, and as we lifted off, the view out of my window kept expanding. The grassy, flat ground below quickly morphed into steep, green mountain sides, which again transformed to alpine terrain with no trees- just endless rocks!

The glacier ahead was huge and descended at an impressive angle, something I hadn’t noticed before. An enormous crust of moving ice blanketing the steep slope down the ravine. I couldn’t believe in a few short minutes I was about to be out there walking on it!

We landed on the glacial helipad (a square marked off with small rocks that made the border) and exited the aircraft. Guided a safe distance away from the blades, we kept low, as instructed, and watched the aircraft lift off to head back to base. The force of the blades created intense wind,  kicking up small ice chunks into its circular vortex. Very important to shield the eyes!

From there we were given crampons and a pole, and all geared up, we followed our guide, Kate, and began climbing up the glacier. The scenery was so incredible I hardly noticed how much we were climbing until I looked down at our starting spot. This glacier was truly steep! 

The sun and clouds were constantly changing, making the scenery evolve with it. When the sun came out and hit the glacier, it gleaned and glowed under its light. The blue hues in the ice shown through in some spots so vividly! We learned that occurs because the ice is SO compact in those spots, with no air bubbles. And blue light has the longest wavelength so that it’s the only one that can make it in and out of the thick, hard ice. Kate told us some parts  are so blue they are purple. I would love to see that someday!

Because the ice is slowly moving down the face of the mountain, and the fact that Fox Glacier is particularly steep, it is constantly changing shape. Some parts of the glacier move 3-6 meters per day! Other parts much less. Looking up the glacier you could see various trail workers chipping away at the ice and making paths for us to follow. Lots of ice stairs! It was so impressive to see how much work goes into it just to have the ice shift and need to do it all again the next day. 

We were taken to a waterfall, an ice cave, and a hole in the ice along our journey. Once small rocks get into the ice, the heat from the sun warms the rocks and melts the ice underneath. This creates a little pocket and with more melting, some of those pockets turn into tunnels. At the right angle, it might create a little spout for water to escape out of like this one!

Little waterfalls and channels were all around with crystal clear water flowing through. Enough tunneling leads to incredible shapes in the ice, like this one!

I couldn’t believe our luck with how beautiful it was up there. We had incredible weather and I experienced so many “pinch me” moments while high up experiencing one of natures’s wonders. 

The rate of melting for this glacier really puts global warming into perspective. It’s one thing to learn about it and it’s a whole other thing to be on the ice and have someone point out to you ‘this is where it was 10 years ago’.  I left feeling immensely grateful to have been able to witness the beauty of this place. It was a somber thought wondering how it would change between now and when I would (hopefully be able to) come back. 

Back on the ground, after our helicopter ride down (during which our pilot showed us a huge collapse in the glacier!), we had sure worked up an appetite! One of the guides recommended Lake Matheson Cafe so we headed there. Matt got the brisket with jalapeño on a bagel (YUM) and I got the Crispy Roti with Korean chicken- both were so very tasty. 

Sitting outside the cafe, we looked right up at the mountains. Things had vastly changed since the night before and the morning, as all the tall peaks were again shrouded in clouds. We now knew what was hiding up there and felt even more grateful to have witnessed it!

With full bellies and hearts, we headed toward our destination for the night! We were continuing south to stay at Wonderland Makarora Lodge. The drive was beautiful as we cut through Haast Pass, which had seemingly endless sources of blue water. We were going to stop at the famous Blue Pools, but the parking lot was absolutely packed and we were not in the mood to deal with that. Perhaps another time!

We checked into our accommodations and drove up to our little A-frame cabin for the night. It was so freaking cute and totally reminded me of Matt and I’s wedding venue, Alpine Lakes High Camp. It was dated and cozy; I was in love. 

On this side of the mountains, it was hot and sunny so we threw on our suits and went to find the pool to cool off. After hanging there for a bit, we got freshened up and walked down to the reception/restaurant. We sat outside and ate some good ol’ fashion comfort food!

From there, we relaxed after such an eventful day. I lost myself in my book, ‘The Overstory’, until all the light drained out of the sky, before I passed out. We had another epic adventure scheduled for the next day and needed all the sleep we could get to be ready for it!