I Cried When My New Zealand Glacier Heli Hike Was Cancelled!

Place: Fox Glacier

Country: New Zealand

Closest Towns: Franz Josef, Fox Glacier

Time of Year: February (Summer in New Zealand)

How we got there: Plane, Train, Automobile & Helicopter

Planning Our Trip

Imagine planning a trip for 6 months straight! Every detail down to the minute. Piecing it together step by step because we do not use a travel agent or book travel tours. Researching, reading, & coordinating to make this the best 10 days we could possibly spend in New Zealand. If you only have 10 days, you have to make the most of it right? Well I was determined to do just that and at the top of my list was a Heli Hike to Franz Josef Glacier! I dreamed about it day and night and thought that if I could only do one thing in New Zealand, this would be it! Nothing would stop me! Not even a knee that was giving me trouble from hours and hours on the tennis court. I told my physical therapist that we had to get my knee in order because I was going to hike a glacier in New Zealand! And that I did! By the time February rolled around I was as good as new, well as good as an almost 50 year old can get!

How We Got There

We were 4 days into our New Zealand (you can read about that here https://dawntillduskaz.com/our-self-guided-tour-of-new-zealand/) and just 1 day away from the most epic adventure on our itinerary. After taking a domestic flight from Auckland to Christchurch, NZ, then a 5 hours scenic train trip on the TranzAlpine, followed by a 3 hour road trip in our hybrid rental, we were now on the west coast of the South Island within an hour of our destination. Franz Josef, NZ. The gorgeous coastline slowly turned into luscious mountains. As we sat admiring the views of the mountains expanding in front of us we started to notice the dark clouds looming over one particular spot. Is that where we are headed? If we don’t acknowledge it will the clouds go away? Is that a sheet of rain ahead? Hopefully it will pass by morning.

Disappointment & Hope

Then the phone rang…. And my dream was crushed. Our HeliHike had been cancelled due to weather. They wanted to know if we would like to reschedule for another day next week. Next week? That’s when I cried! I cried and cried and cried for 20 minutes straight. Cesar on the other hand is a happy go lucky kind of guy. “No big deal, we will do something else.” he says. “Just let me cry.” I tell him. He just could not understand how something like this is worth crying over!

As we entered the town of Franz Josef nestled in a rain forest we noticed that we could not even see Franz Josef Glacier due to the low hanging clouds. We stopped and talked to the tour company like I was going to change their mind about flying us into a storm to land on a glacier! I was looking for any little glimpse of hope. And I actually received one! There was another glacier 30 minutes up the road and it was possible that the weather was different over there. How likely would it be that they would still have room less than 24 hours before the flight? Turns out Fox Glacier Guiding had 2 spots open for the next morning. I held my excitement. I just knew it was a risk to believe this could happen.

Fox Glacier

The next morning was cloudy and looked like rain. We headed over to Fox Glacier an hour earlier than necessary. I was on edge hoping that they too would not cancel on us. The town of Fox Glacier is pretty small so we walked the street looking for coffee for Cesar as we awaited the fate of our HeliHike. As time grew near we were told that it would be a go and that we should expect to get rained on . We were lead into a room to watch a safety video and then suited up in all the gear. We wore our own under layer like what you would wear under your ski clothing and they provided the rest; jackets, pants, boots, and even a small backpack. You will need to bring your own hat and gloves. We were weighed and put into a group to balance out the helicopter. A van took us over to the helipad and we watched as a helicopter came into view. There was a little rain and we were warned that if the rain becomes heavy that would glacier hike may be cut short. At this point I would have been happy just getting to land on the ice!

The Flight to Fox Glacier

They settled us in the helicopter nice and snug and loaded our bags into nets on the outside. The flight was short but amazingly beautiful! As soon as we approached the glacier we started to hear loud rumbling noises! Our pilot informed us that the mountain around the glacier had been crumbling all morning causing “slips”.

Landing on the Glacier

It is pretty incredible to land on a glacier. As we stepped off the helicopter and walked to the staging area we could not help but look around in awe. The glacier expanded out in front of us and there were mountains on either side covered in small waterfalls. We quickly strapped on our crampons and grabbed a hiking pole. I wanted to get started as soon as possible just in case the weather forced us off the glacier.

Hiking The Glacier

Every morning the guides hike the glacier and prepare the paths for that day’s hikers. The glacier changes everyday due to the surface melt. Fox Glacier is a low altitude glacier which make it easier to access than other high altitude glaciers. Everyday the glacier melts from the bottom and feeds the freezing cold rivers below as well as the rain forest that sits right under us. Through the night more snow will fall and pack the top. The paths that have been carved out for us hikers may have slight changes day to day. That is why we carry an ax. They have set up ropes and carved out steps in the ice to help guide us through tunnels and caves.

Crevasses & Moulins

As we hiked, we came across many crevasses and small moulins. A crevasse is a deep crack or wedge in the ice. We got to climb down into them and at times we had to turn sideways to squeeze through. Along the way we spotted many tiny holes in the ice usually filled with the prettiest blue water. They are much like a sink hole. As the glacier melts through the day, the water finds weak spots in the ice and creates a hole. Some can be quite large however most of the ones we saw were not! I wouldn’t want to fall into one of them! I did cup my hand in a few to taste the frigid water. It was actually delicious!

Epic day

We spent 3 hours on that incredible glacier. There were rockslides and waterfalls all around us and not once did I feel unsafe. Our guide was amazing and taught us so much! Can you believe we were hiking on a massive bed of moving ice? It is sad to hear that the glacier shrinks every year and that many years in the future it may not exist at all. Just makes us even more grateful that we were able to see it up close and personal.