25/03/2018 - Fox & Franz Josef Glacier in the rain

The day started promisingly but quite cold. We asked at the reception if we could expect wintry road conditions. But Rosie gave the all clear and so we set off towards the West Coast. After replenishing our food supplies, we left "Wanaka" behind and kept the small town with the lonely tree in good memory.
To reach the West Coast, the "Haast Pass" must be crossed. The route runs along two picturesque lakes right at the beginning. We stopped at "Lake Hawea" to take some pictures. Then the road led through pastureland and our next major stop was at the "Blue Pools". A well-developed path leads to a crystal-clear river in 20 minutes. In addition to the beautiful water color, we were enthusiastic about the rocky shore. Because no matter where you looked, there were small and large towers everywhere. With the help of flat stones, various structures were built. Of course, we didn't miss the opportunity and also built an extraordinary one.
After the work was done, we went back to the car. The road became increasingly winding and eventful. In recent times, the region has been hit by heavy storms. Parts of the road had collapsed or were covered with earth, trees, and stones. Therefore, the section of the route was littered with construction sites. After passing through, we made two more stops to admire nearby waterfalls.
After almost two hours of driving, the "Tasman Sea" finally appeared. We missed the sea so much. :)
Since the region is sparsely populated and large parts are simply inaccessible, we drove to the "Fox Glacier" on that day. Arriving at the new campsite, the receptionist surprised us. She actually convinced us to book only one night instead of the desired two nights. Her reason for this was the road closure of the "Fox Glacier Road".

The access road to the glacier has been closed for several weeks due to flooding. An opening date is not yet foreseeable.

Of course, we already knew about the closure. Therefore, we were not too disappointed to have received this information from her and to stay only one night.

The next morning it rained. The changeable autumn weather was starting to get on our nerves. Nevertheless, we set off in the morning to make the best out of the day. Despite the road closure, we wanted to catch a glimpse of the Fox Glacier. Therefore, we followed an alternative access road that leads to a more distant lookout. Armed with an umbrella and hoodie, we trudged off and reached the viewpoint after about 15 minutes. The view of the glacier from here was high up in the mountains. It looked relatively small - although it is difficult to judge this over such a great distance.
After a short visit, we continued our journey towards "Franz Josef Glacier". The first thing we noticed about this small town was that it was much more touristy than the neighboring town. There are more restaurants, motels, and even a supermarket.

The next day, the rain actually stopped. We drove to the parking lot from where various hikes to the Franz Josef Glacier start. We decided on the most popular route. Within 90 minutes, you walk through the glacier valley and end approximately 500 meters before the current glacier. We felt a strange feeling when we stood in front of it. Already during the hike, we read various information boards that pointed out the retreat of the glacier. We saw several pictures of how the glacier looked 50, 100, and 200 years ago. The retreat is alarming and hard to comprehend! One can't imagine how the glacier will develop in the coming years. A drastic retreat is expected. One can only hope that the glacier melt does not progress too quickly and that we will be able to see this natural spectacle for a long time.

With mixed feelings, we left the viewpoint and started the return journey. A dozen waterfalls were seeking their way into the valley on the left and right, ending in the grayish river that flows from the glacier. Occasionally, a few ice blocks could be seen in it. During the entire time, about 20 helicopters flew over us, taking tourists to the glacier. Apart from the deafening noise, one can't help but ask whether this stops the retreat of the glaciers!? Probably not.
Just as we reached the car, the rain started again, which didn't really improve our mood. At least in the late afternoon, the sun broke through, so that we could do the laundry.
We are curious to see what the weather has in store for us in the coming days and how it will affect our future travel route.

By the way, the German explorer "Julius von Haast" dedicated the glacier to the then Austrian Emperor "Franz Joseph I."