New Zealand's West Coast Glaciers

On Sunday, we drove through Mount Aspiring National Park on our way to the two main glaciers along the west coast, Fox Glacier and Franz Joseph Glacier. The area had been dumped with rain the previous night, so there were a lot of gushing waterfalls along the mountainous roads as we drove through the park. We reached the glaciers in the afternoon -- they’re only about 20 minutes apart from each other.

This part of New Zealand is extremely remote with less than 1% of the population living here. Along the coastal route we drove, the towns are very tiny and mostly isolated. We visited the Fox Glacier first, the smaller of the two, and then made our way to the more imposing and popular Franz Joseph Glacier. Some 15,000 - 20,000 years ago, both of these glaciers reached the Tasman Sea, but over time, they have gone through various periods of advancement and retreat. Interestingly enough, the Franz Joseph Glacier has actually advanced an average of 70cm each day since 1985. We got a little wet as we learned these fun facts about the glaciers, but they were quite a sight nevertheless.

We stopped by Hokitika for lunch and ate facing the Tasman Sea. Scott had a VIP seat!