Rick's description - INTENSE. Amanda's description - COLD, but amazing. Today we hiked Franz Josef Glacier. Franz Josef Glacier is the most accessible of the 2,500 glaciers in New Zealand and one of few glaciers that is actually experiencing a period of growth rather than recession. Remember when Rick mentioned how lucky we'd been with weather? Well, that came to an end today! Franz Josef Glacier is at the foot of a New Zealand rainforest. Needless to say, they receive a lot of rain. And when it rains, it really, really rains. We woke at 5AM to pounding on the rooftop of our hotel and it - did - not - stop. Luckily, these companise are well equipped for any type of weather so it did not cancel our trip. Upon arrival to the store, we were suited up in all types of rain gear - boots, jacket, pants, hat and gloves. This was one of the those 'one size fits all' situations and unfortunately for us, the gear appeared to fit best on several of our 6'5" hiking companions! But aside from Amanda's toes, it did keep us dry. We hiked the first hour through a rainforest and up the glacier valley. The rest of the day, roughly six more hours, were spent on the ice. Just before ascending the ice, we put to use the crampons given to us back at the shop. At first, we weren't confident these funny looking cleats would provide us the sure footing we were hoping for but WOW! No matter the surface, no matter the slope, these little diggers sure did dig! The glacier was incredible. Recent degeneration of the valley walls caused the surface of the glacier to be dusty but the tunnels and caves were as blue as the waters in Tahiti. We climbed 650 meters on the glacier surface, past where the helicopters land, in the pouring rain the entire time. Surprisingly, the descent was not as challenging as one may think given the climb and it sent blood toward the toes which warmed things up nicely!
On our trek back down the glacier, we came into conversation with a couple from Pasadena who appear to share the same life path as us. They had arrived in New Zealand from the Warwick in Fiji - the same hotel we are off to tomorrow. They were married a week after us and share the same love of travel and adventure. Shantelle works as a civil justice attorney and social worker who specializes in protecting the rights of students with special needs in the Los Angeles area. Her company is nonprofit and can therefore target anyone guilty of breaking educational law. Needless to say, she and Amanda had A LOT to talk about. Rick and Adel had their fair share in common as well possessing the same qualities that balance their passionate, energizer bunny wives. They even had the same wedding band - weird! We had dinner with them at a phenomenal Indian restaurant in the town of Franz Josef and joined them at the Glacier Hot Pools. Amazing. Definitely a couple we hope to keep in touch with for years to come.
Tomorrow we depart for Fiji. Sad to be leaving New Zealand but especially looking forward to some warm sun after these frigid days in glacier country.
Glacier Country
Franz Josef Glacier
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