Near the end of our fabulous flight over the Fox Glacier the helicopter followed the glacier path down to return to the helipad in town on the West Coast, New Zealand. This gave us the perfect opportunity looking up the Fox Glacier.
The ice slides down hill to the more level river valley below, where it is still 300 metres thick. The movement is lubricated by ice that melts under pressure between the glacier and the steep valley floor. This effect, combined with the high snowfall feeding the top of the glacier, means the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers flow around ten times faster than most valley glaciers.
Let me start by introducing myself. I'm Frank from the Netherlands, currently sixty-eight years old and retired for over a decade already. This gives me plenty of time to spend on one of the most fascinating hobbies I have, photography. It combines really well with travelling, another.. Read more…