Day 12 - Depths and Heights at Franz Josef Glacier

The day starts off a bit suboptimal, to put it mildly:

While I'm loading the RAV4 to leave, I receive an email that my glacier hike has been cancelled due to low-hanging clouds - what a bummer.

So I head to the Alpine Adventure Centre to get the latest information. All morning flights have been cancelled due to the clouds, and the tours for the afternoon, if they do take place, are all fully booked!

Now I'm faced with a dilemma: the only alternative is a scenic flight over the two glaciers with a snow landing at 3pm, which will only be carried out if the weather conditions have significantly changed by that time. After a brief consideration, I decide to book it - fingers crossed!

However, now I have the problem of having to kill almost six hours in Franz Josef. So, I go to the DOC ranger and inquire. She recommends the hike to the Taratine Tunnels, which starts nearby. However, she advises me to bring water shoes or sandals, as the water in the tunnel is ankle-deep, and a flashlight, as it's naturally dark inside. I pack everything up and off I go.

The tunnel was originally dug as a water supply to the goldfields in the rocks. Arriving at the entrance, I change shoes, put on a headlamp, and let's see.

The water is refreshing and cool, but after a while, you get used to it. The path leads for several 100 meters in pitch darkness until it reaches a barrier where it can no longer continue. In some places, you can see a multitude of glowworms as soon as you switch off the lamp.

Back at the starting point, I change the equipment again and head back to the car.

The weather situation hasn't changed significantly, and I'm afraid that it won't improve by 3pm. I decide to go for a walk to Wombat Lake. It leads to a small lake and starts at the road to the parking lot of the Glacier Viewpoint.

The path is well-built and easy to walk. As I walk, the sun starts to appear more and the gaps in the clouds get bigger; maybe there is still some hope.

I drive back to the town to the tour provider, and indeed, the flight is happening!

"It cleared really nice up," said the nice lady at the counter - nothing more to add! So, I prepare my camera and pack my sunglasses, leaving my jacket in the car as the lady mentioned that the temperatures on the mountain are not significantly different from down here.

She takes us to the nearby heliport with a shuttle bus. After a short safety briefing, the helicopter arrives, and everyone takes their assigned seat.

And off we go. Pilot Tobi explains what is passing by outside. And it's truly impressive.

The caramel blanket, partially covering the snow, is actually from the bushfires in Australia and doesn't really affect the overall impression. First, we go to Franz Josef Glacier, then to Fox, and finally, we have a snow landing in untouched terrain.

Here, everyone has the opportunity to take plenty of photos, and the pilot is happy to assist with taking pictures.

Then we head back to the heliport. Overall, it's a very beautiful experience that I don't regret the cost of in any way.

Now I continue towards Greymouth, today's overnight stop. I quickly stop in Hokitika to take a photo of the beach with the town name made out of driftwood.

In Greymouth, I quickly check in and satisfy my hunger at the restaurant next door.