Franz Josef Glacier, South Island - Page 4
Click on any photo to see a larger view
From Arthur’s Pass, we drove west to the coast & then south along the coast until we reached the town of Franz Josef Glacier. We stopped several times on the coast of the Tasman Sea and could see the mountains and snow from many miles away. We took an hour-long helicopter tour to get a bird’s eye view of Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier, Mount Cook and the Tasman Glacier – see the 2 video clips below.
We were amazed at how thick the rain forest was and at the wide variety of plants & ferns that we had never seen before.
Our cabin at Franz Josef Glacier and the view out the front door. In town I had venison one night and rack of lamb the next. This is roughing it. I think we had the biggest vehicle in all New Zealand!
Another view of the glacier when zooming from the front porch of our cabin. See the sunlight on the top of the mountain.
We were all smiling – the helicopter ride was most excellent!
We landed on Franz Josef Glacier in a flat spot. Took some good pictures and threw snowballs.
The view from downtown Franz Josef Glacier is much nicer than any view from Dallas. We hiked up the valley to the very end of the glacier. This was about an hour hike over a rocky trail.
