Aboard Dignity (Lagoon 420) Blog

The day started off with a big breakfast, something we rarely do. That gave us the fuel to skip lunch and have a full day out.

Our first stop was Mt Iron close to the town of Wanaka and overlooking Puzzling World. Mt Iron, for you geology buffs, is a Roche Moutain (I think) – essentially something that was once a larger hill that has been ground down into a certain shape by past glaciation. The hike to the top and it’s great views and back down took about 90 minutes.

On that walk we made up our minds about how to spend Valentines Day. Our next stop was to book a nicer room for the 14th, one with nice views, it’s own bathroom and free internet (very romantic). The idea for the latter is we have some near, medium and long term planning to do as well as sorting a few things out in the US and this would be a good time to make some progress on this.

Our next stop was Diamond Lake to the west of town. A short walk up to this small lake was followed by a strenuous climb, first to a lower viewpoint and then on up to the top of Rocky Mountain. The views from the top were superb. The whole area is shaped by past glaciation with lakes, mountains, valleys, moraines, etc.

Being a loop track we took the return path down giving us a different perspective on the area. Once at the car we felt we’d done enough for the day and headed back to our room to read and rest.

We’ve just had a great day on Fox Glacier.

Packing up from the cabin was quick and soon we were driving south from Franz Josef to Fox. With a little time in hand and hardly a cloud in the sky we drove a couple of miles west so we could get a glimpse and and take a picture of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook, the second and highest mountains in NZ.

At 10:10 our party of 12 intrepid glacier explorers were called together to be kitted up. They had a good system where you could borrow as much additional gear as we needed including boots, raincoats, overtrousers, back packs, hats, mittens, etc. We were then bussed to the glacier car park in the company of our very informative guide Jonathan.

We were led up the side of the valley through the rain forest to get glimpses of the glacier from different vantage points. At one point we heard some large booms around the valley, the result of ice crashing from the tunnel where the river came out of the mouth of the glacier.

After nearly two hours we were at the edge of the glacier where we were given crampons to strap over our boots. Then we were climbing up onto the ice. Jonathan led the way using a pick axe to create/improve steps in the ice. When we reached a safe area he showed us various techniques for walking on the ice so we wouldn’t slip over.

Thus followed several hours of wandering over the ice to be shown features that changed from day to day. We were led through crevices and through moulins (holes in the ice). Jonathan spent a lot of time filling in the crevices so we could pass through working up a great sweat.

Towards the end we had an optional squeeze through a long tunnel. Helen and I both gave it a go. We started off crouching but the last half of the tunnel required us to get down on our bellies and wriggle through the wet ice. There were a few cut knees after this but no one seemed to care. We were all cold, wet and smiling.

As we walked off the glacier we became warmer and warmer glad to strip off our extra layers and dry off. Although we hadn’t felt tired throughout the day, by the time we reached the bus we did feel quite exhausted.

Having returned our borrowed equipment we said our thanks and headed off to the campsite to move into the cabin we’d booked the previous day. We didn’t stop long as we were famished. We headed into town and ate out.

Today we’re going to head out of here. The weather is overcast but not raining. We’re looking forward to driving the coast without it raining and giving us a chance to see the mountains around us. We should reach Wanaka.

For our first day by the glaciers we hiked the trail to Robert’s Point. The trail was listed as taking 5 hours and 20 mins round trip which turned out to be almost exactly right. The trail took us down river a way past Peter’s Pool and then over the first of 3 or 4 swing bridges. Then the long climb along a mixture of made paths, rock scrambles and slippery, wet stream beds. At one point the trail had followed planks suspended from a vertical cliff face.

Our destination was Robert’s Point where we had an excellent view of the top of Franz Josef Glacier. We ate our lunch here and rested before the arduous descent. Going down the slippery rocks was hard work as it was too easy to lose grip and fall. Our knees took a bit of a beating on these sections and we ended up quite tired by the time we reached the car.

Despite the effort this was a great hike and one to remember. Hopefully the pictures will give some idea of the trail and the majestic scenery around us. The glacier, naturally, sits in a carved valley with hanging waterfalls aplenty.

Today the skies are again blue but we’re going to take it easy after the exertions of yesterday. We’ll take the easy hike to the base of the glacier. We’ll also visit the information center to find the best way to visit the ice tomorrow, either here or at nearby Fox Glacier.