Today is day 14 of our trip into the paradise that is “New Zealand”. We started out the day with coffee at a little cafe that has one of the most stunning views of the Franz Josef glacier valley. As we reminisced about the night before, we watched the helicopters take off and land, ferrying adventure tourists to the tops of mountains.
We left our cafe and we headed out to the Fox Glacier where we began a deceivingly long walk to an observation platform. The moment we pulled into the parking lot at the trail head, the scope of the valley, surrounding mountains, and the glacier itself was breathtaking. We were walking down 2km-long trail in a 600m-wide valley with 3100m-tall mountains surrounding us, on the way to a glacier that's over 15,000 years old! The sights were almost indescribable as we walked. When we get to the top of the observation platform, we finally could see the terminal face of the glacier and the little ice caves that had formed. This is one of the most memorable experiences of the entire trip and easily one of the most picturesque places of all New Zealand.
After having our breath taken away by the Fox Glacier, we wound our way back through the mountains to a small-community run plant nursery that was tackling the task of keeping native seeds and plants available for use around the South Island. We met with Paula Sheridan (www.okaritoboattours.co.nz), who gave us the rundown on the how, why, and what about the Okarito Native Plant Nursery. As a bonus, Paula invited Ian Cooper (www.okaritokiwitours.co.nz) to talk with us about the kiwi sightseeing tours he leads in order to generate a greater knowledge of the Okarito Rowi Kiwi, the smallest of the species of kiwi species. It was amazing to see that a community of around 30 permanent residents were doing important conservation work for the remainder of the island.
Paula Sheridan describes the plants being raised in the greenhouse while Emily Stanek (Nursing ‘19), Harley Illingworth (Nursing ‘20) and Sara Wernick (Sociology ‘20) listen intently and take notes.
After the nursery, we returned to the hostel and cooked up dinner. After our refuel, we went to the Franz Josef Glacier and hiked to the observation point. The entire hike rose over 1400 feet from start to finish and the Franz Josef Glacier looked to be around twice the size of the Fox Glacier. This whole day was filled with such amazing views; it was really hard to put into words or perspective the size and beauty of the mountains and glaciers. With less than a week to go after today, I can't wait to see what the trip offers next.
The small group that took on the challenge of hiking to two glaciers on the day! Behind us is Franz Josef glacier. Left to right: Dr. Mike Daven (Math & IT), Sam Keeney (Nursing ‘20), Ray Shepherd (Nursing ‘21), and Dr. Robinson.
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