The day started bright and clear, with just a tiny cloud covering the peak of Mount Cook.

We headed for Lake Matheson.  The track around it ambles through the forest for the most part.  It’s broken up by three wooden landings that are on the lakeshore, and a wooden walkway through the tules at the far end of the lake.  A swing bridge is at the beginning of the loop.

At the first landing there were about 7 photographers standing and waiting for that last wisp of a cloud to clear over Mount Cook.  Everyone was so quiet and it felt kind of eerie.  We forged ahead and got to the Reflection Island landing on the other side of the lake.  We were the only ones there!  I thought the view of Mounts Cook and Tasman was much better there as well.  We stayed a full 10 to 15 minutes enjoying the serenity.  Fred waited for that last little cloud to evaporate and just as it did, a group of ducks swooped in and landed on the lake, disturbing the glassy reflection.  Every time we see that picture, we comment, “Stupid ducks!”  As we returned to the camper, we noticed the tour buses had arrived with loads of people.  Great timing!

We still had much of the morning before our helihike at 11:50, so walked to the terminal face of the glacier.  As you drive the road, you see signs stating where the terminal face had been in past years.  It’s alarming to see how much it has receded in a short amount of time.  The walk itself follows the runoff from the glacier which is rather grey and has chunks of ice in it. At the end there is a rope set up alerting you to stay behind it and not go any closer to the ice wall.  Apparently some tourists don’t think the warnings apply to them and two young men lost their lives a couple of years ago.

When we returned to the carpark, a woman was getting something out of her backpack and a curious Kea was right behind her looking on.

We drove back to the little town of Fox Glacier, parked our campervan across from Fox Guides and walked part of the Minnehaha Track.  The track is in a thick rainforest and is popular after dark because you can see glowworms there.  We were happy to find the geocache hidden within.

We checked in at Fox Guides and were asked to wait in the giftshop. :/ Then our group of about 15 boarded a bus and we drove out to one of several helipads in the area. We got instructions of helicopter protocol, outfitted ourselves in wooly socks and boots, and were divided into 3 groups of 5. Then we boarded our helicopter.

The flight up to the glacier involved a bit of meandering closer to the moraine walls. The photographers in the group snapped pictures of the waterfalls. Fred was up front, and I was in the back. The entire trip took 8 minutes and then we landed on the glacier.

Zarah was our Australian guide and had quite the snarky sense of humor.  We were given our crampons and Zorah used her ice pick to create steps in the ice. At several places, she would stop and give us historical and geological information about the glacier.

We saw a couple of ice caves and arches, and there was one place they set up a slide through a tunnel. The glacier is constantly moving and changing, so the arches, caves and tunnels we saw that day may be gone the next day.

There were several “photo opportunities”. Zarah made sure everyone got a photo of themselves on the glacier. On the return helicopter flight, I was seated front and center. I really loved that experience, even though it was a direct trip back to the helipad.

Overall, it was a good experience, but a little pricey and commercial. We were fortunate with the weather, as many of these trips are cancelled.   As it was, Zarah was constantly looking at the very low cloud cover, which may have hindered our return flight.

The Adventure Continues>>>