Franz Josef Glacier

We wish you a nice day together.

Since we have been very productive, we were able to take a whole day off. The day was very nice and we got up very early to drive to Franz Josef Glacier (30 minutes away from our place by car).

From a parking lot, you have to walk to Franz Josef Glacier, which takes about 3 hours if you take your time to take pictures and enjoy the great view. On the way, you stroll along a paved path through rocky terrain and along a stream/river that originates from the glacier and the surrounding waterfalls. The landscape through which the hiking trail leads is also a 'Lord of the Rings' filming location. At the end of the trail, you are directly in front of the glacier. It was a fascinating sight on one hand and, on the other hand, also shocking to learn how significantly the glacier has receded in recent years. The mountain range in which Franz Josef Glacier is located is called the 'Southern Alps'. This alpine region is the fastest growing mountain region in the world. Here, the mountains grow by 10-12mm per year.

After we finished, we ate our packed lunch that Abyee made for us. We are really welcomed and taken care of so well here, it's incredible! (The packed lunch included: 1 orange, 1 apple, 2 bananas, 2 wraps filled with ham, cheese, salad, and avocado ('super delicious'!), 2 granola bars, and of course, cookies :D) We definitely won't starve!

After our lunch, we drove to the town to go for another hike. Unfortunately, it was a complete failure as we walked into a forest and in the middle, there was a sign saying 'This trail ends here'.... so we only saw trees. That was our excursion. We continued driving, more about that in the post 'Short Trip Okarito'.