Day 190
I have a confession to make: I let my mom plan our entire New Zealand trip because, as a friend of mine from home once put it so eloquently, when it comes to travel I am “unbelievably lazy.”
You know how I just kind of happen to wander and base my next move on whatever travelers in my current locale tell me to see? That usually works out pretty well, and that’s how my contribution to the trip, Waiheke Island, happened to come about. Other than that, though? Yeah, I didn’t plan a thing.
It turns out that I put my faith in the right hands, though, because my mom did a fantastic job by picking Franz Josef Glacier for us to visit during our time on the south island. Though she had seen glaciers from her geophysicist days, I had never in my life seen one before. I am a Californian after all, we don’t really have them in my home state.
You guys, I didn’t know what I had been missing:
There are two main glaciers in the area: Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. One has a few options for getting up close and personal with them – hike right on up (as we did in this case), hike directly on the glacier, or fly over it.
We also chose to fly over it, so that we could see this:
And this…
And a little more of this:
For about 40 minutes via helicopter, we circled the glacier and various surrounding mountain tops, seeing the glacier from a different point of view.
In total, we spent 3 days getting up close with the glaciers, enjoying the intense blues and beautiful surroundings.
Turns out that this time, planning wins.
In the spirit of full disclosure: We were treated to the helicopter tour by Fox & Franz Josef Heliservices who did not request that I write a favourable review or comment on the blueness of New Zealand in general. All opinions are my own.
Katherina says
Beautiful! I visited Franz Joseph when I was in New Zealand a few years ago… we also took a helicopter flight, and then went glacier hiking! Loved it!
admin says
Was definitely a good call!
Britany says
Stunning pics!! New Zealand is definitely up there on my list of places to see.
admin says
Thanks!
Arianwen says
Wow. That is just stunning! NZ is my next stop. I’m coming over to visit my sister in Auckland before doing a work visa in Sydney. I’m going to add this trip to my itinerary – even though I’m petrified of flying!
admin says
Glad to hear it! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Arianwen says
It went pretty damn well!! Stunning views. I went with the same company and they were fab. I love how they prepared your group photo while still on the glacier! Thanks for inspiring me to do this!
Kristin says
That’s absolutely awesome! Glad to hear that you went with them and enjoyed the experience. I love hearing when someone takes my advice and tries the same thing and ends up loving it. Makes this whole blogging thing worthwhile 🙂
jill says
Whoa! Incredible shots! I love glaciers – there’s something that’s soo powerful and majestic about them.
admin says
Thanks! I agree, they’re quite something to see
Suzanne Fluhr (Just One Boomer) says
I saw my glaciers in Alaska, so in NZ, we hiked the Milford Track from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound on the South Island. 4 nights on the trail and only 35 miles — but there was a mountain involved. It was definitely one of my best trip planning moments—especially because the trip was really to Perth, Australia.
http://www.boomeresque.com/the-finest-walk-in-the-world-the-milford-track-south-island-new-zealand/
admin says
Haha, trip was really to Perth? What’s the story there?
Freya says
Your mom did an incredible job planning this trip, WoW it looks so impressive.
Stunning photos. I so want to visit New Zealand, maybe next year.
admin says
Thanks! I agree, she did great.
Ryan says
These are beautiful photos! I went to the Fox Glacier a few years ago, and now I’m wishing I would’ve sprung for the helicopter ride. The aerial view gives you such a different perspective on the glacier.
admin says
It does! But I can understand where you’re coming from – activities in NZ are realllly expensive.
Victoria- Pommie Travels says
I know I should be looking at the glaciers, but I was looking at your cute sunglasses!
Pilot Mark says
Exploring the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers is an incredible experience in itself. But to actually walk on top of these mighty rivers of ice, to get that immersive sensation, that really is special! I also did this helicopter flight and glacier landing when visiting Fox and Franz Josef and I was truly blown away by the staggering size and beauty of these glaciers.