First things first,  a clouds check.  Morning was just breaking and not a cloud in the sky. Time to get a shimmy on.  A quick ‘3S’ – shower, shave and sh**, maybe not in that order, then it was off to use the kitchen ahead of our fellow campers. Soft poached eggs with smashed avocado on toasted sesame bagels with a piping hot drink.  Extra kettle boiled and flasks full for the journey so we take advantage of the electricity and save our gas for the mountains.  The kitchen was left immaculate for our compadres. As we left the car park we noticed a few other van occupants coming to life.  No doubt we will see one or two at the tourist spots along the way.  When we’ve spoken to others, many are doing a similar route either north to south or vice versa. For now it was back to try to see the glacier again.

Thank you FJ

OMG, what a difference a day makes.  We followed the same path as yesterday, though it was hardly recognisable in the sunny blue sky. Once we arrived at the viewpoint we were gobsmacked by a number of different elements. Firstly, Mark Martini looked much friendlier in the sun.  The waterfall that was coming down the side of the mountain had suddenly gained a family with siblings and cousins all along the walls of the valley for as far as you could see, which was at least thirty kilometres more than yesterday.  But the jewel in the crown, actually the whole crown of jewels rolled into one magnificently majestic piece of jewellery was the glacier.  Like  a Tiffany masterpiece with row upon row, column upon column of the most precious blue diamonds ascending down the neckline of the most iconic of models Katty Kutie with her long blonde hair waving to the sides, free like the river once  flowed.

Beauty in the making

This powerful spectacle of ice with over 7000 years of life is shrinking ever so slowly, just as we all must do in old age.  But also like all in old age,  there are so many stories to tell.  So much this magnificent, powerful and ever present sculpture has seen over time.  Some might argue that it caused total destruction to everything in its path as it tore through the valley in its hayday without a care. But here in this one desolate land of rocks it has brought new life all around.  The hills and valleys that are full of rainforests, unique ecosystems and an abundance of life not seen anywhere else on the planet. From it’s little blue penguins to the national kiwi bird, species thrive, due in part to these glaciers  moving through the mountains whilst releasing water into the atmosphere. The valleys they created on their original journeys now have rivers flowing in them with fresh water entering twenty-four seven from the constant flow of the waterfalls.  Even the pictures of this blueish white giant don’t show that in places it could be one to two miles deep.  Pure water from a time before man put a significant mark on the planet. Although the same valleys may have seen other glaciers before this one, each leaves it’s own mark on the landscape as they raged through the mountains tearing and transporting giant boulders to new and distant locations. These can be scattered all along the river bed.

Whilst at the glacier we also went on another walk up to Sentinel Rock. The views were just as stunning.

Greedy Fox wanted more

Although we had been totally blown away,  not literally like yesterday on the suspension bridges at Hokitika Gorge, this time by the pure unsurpassed beauty of Mother Nature.  We were getting greedy and wanted more.

We descended the walks, jumped in the Sandd Van and headed south to The Fox Glacier. Before getting there a sign read ‘last fuel stop for over 100km’.  Damn rookie mistake not filling up in the town we were leaving.  The fuel was thirty-five cent a litre (75p a gallon) more than before and it was too late and too far to turn back.  They had every motorist over a double-barrel shotgun – crooks I tell you.  Everyone has to make a living we guess.  A minor consultation was we weren’t the only rookies in town with a queue of campervans waiting to fill up.  We put enough fuel in the tank until the next big town and a couple of litres more for emergency stops.

Arriving at Fox Glacier (south side) Track, we were at least thankful they didn’t charge for parking, so everything evened itself out in the long run.

The trek was a forty-five minute climb to the viewing point.  Pretty awesome, but it seemed a long way away.

There were signs for a river view, so as we had time on our hands for once, we decided to crack on whilst most other ‘glacier hunters’ took their photos and returned to base camp (the carpark). What a mistake they made, another thirty minutes and we were riverside with an unobstructed pristine view of the ice-monster roaring down the mountain side. It looked even more menacing than its relative Franz Joseph. The mountains were taller, the ice had more of a menacing blue tint and the edges appeared rough and rugged.

All that said,  it looked to be a freak of nature.  We were half expecting a Yeti to pop over the hill.  That immense power can be seen as you stare up in total awe at the magnitude of this white Wonder of the world. 

Now, due to dangers such as rock landslides as the glacier retreats, the only way to safely see the beauty of their entirity is by helicopter. From below you get a true understanding of their size as this minute pimple can be seen moving across their body like a satellite in the night sky.  Minutes later it can be identified via sound as one of the hundreds of tourist helicopters returning from their trip.  Eventually it passes overhead  looking and sounding back to its original size.

The Magical Moss Wars of Moraine

On the way back there was a slight detour, which wandered through the forest taking the Old Moraine Path off the Glacier Track in a crescent before returning to the main tourist walk.  That sounded right up our street, so enter we did.  There was no safety of a man-made gravel path, this was through ancient woodlands, very fitting of a ‘Lord of the Rings’ adventure. It felt that we were definitely getting more and more into the films amazing scenery, filmed over the North and South Islands of New Zealand. Every tree had a form of thick furry moss growing over it, or deep dark cavities hollowed in the trunks.  The path, although man-made, was overgrown and was made of uneven blocks and stepping stones. The aura was of a medieval forest where bandits with bows and arrows might swing from the trees and take your worldly possessions or jump out of the hollow to steal your Maid Marion away.

All of a sudden the 12th Century landscape had switched and we found ourself in the middle of the Vietnam War with an endless stream of helicopters whirring above us.  The unforgettable sound of the blades rotating.  Luckily for us there were no soldiers ready to open fire or napalm to be dropped from above to set this glorious landscape ablaze.  Back to reality, it was about twenty choppers returning groups of lucky sightseeing tourists and trading them for the next group.

Moraine was like the tunnel walk from two days ago, a magical and marvellous walk that was steeped in mystery and fantasy getting the imagination going wild (nothing to do with the two large strong cups of coffee before the walk).

Studying the map, and our previous notes, there was a park on route to Lake Matheson nearby that had great reviews.  Only ten kilometres up the road and we were treated to a different perspective of the glacier.  From here, although further away in distance, more of the glacier could be seen including it’s abrupt end.  Who knows, if we came back in another year it could have shrunk even more.  On the otherhand, nature has a way of fighting against the odds and a natural occurrence could see it return to all it’s former might and glory.

The park also had a  three-part life-size sculpture of an original Maui canoe, they crossed the pacific from the Polynesian Islands thousands of years ago to the shores of New Zealand. Very fitting as there was a river running next to the park.  A walk along it helped us find some rare Pounamu stonea.  These were beautiful shades of green and we had seen some of the  traditional Maui jewellery for sale in Picton previously, apparently they are worth a mint.

The clock is tic-tocking

On our travels we have noticed a lot of the youth doing handstands and videoing it.  It must be some tic-toc craze so I give it a go.  Some years since I did one so all in all happy with the first attempt but will try again another day.  We do not think that I will win a gold at the Olympics but stranger things have happened at sea (maybe the geriatric Olympics in 2042 with some hard work and dedication).

Glowing in the dark

From the park we went to our campervan hostel at Fox Glacier Lodge.  The cooking area looked good set up and the showers even better, so we took full advantage of the facilities before going on a free organised walking tour by the host.  It wasn’t long until we were in a dark  mysterious underworld.  Every now and again a cyclops caught the corner of one of our eyes. Were we imagining things? No, the host whispered for the first time in the woods and advised us to crouch down and look ahead.  It appeared that our world as we know it was turned upside-down. Hundreds of stars shone brightly above what should have been the ground.  A quick check above, and yes the stars were still there shining through the odd gap in the trees. Was this a reflection we’d seen, or a flourish of fairies peeking through the leaves?  No it was the glorious Glowworms twinkling in their own little galaxy. As we ventured further into the forest, more and more lights could be seen.  Mainly blue and green with the occasional white fairy light. Our tour guide explained the blue and green were male and the white bright light was the female.  He also told us they not only use the lights to attracplt partners but to lure prey.  One particular bush was laden with lights and illuminated like a Christmas tree. We returned and settled for the night in the van.