franz josef glacier

没爬过冰川，人家。。。跟一群老外一起爬的，太好玩了。不过Hiking确实很累，但是都是值得的。貌似之后都不开放Hiking这么长一段了，估计是全球变暖之类的，冰川有危险。不过到山顶可以坐直升机的。

不用走很久. 就可以看到完整冰河由山上往下流, 并且拍到完整冰河的照片, 虽然接近看到冰河前缘要走半个多小时,当地天气十分容易下雨越接近冰河越冷,但是十分值得

We visited the glaciers 5 years ago and I was amazed how far the Franz Josef had retreated. You can no longer climb the glacier with a guide and because of the danger of ice and rock falls you are kept a safe distance from the face.To walk to the glacier you will need sturdy shoes and appropriate clothing for changeable weather. This is not 'wheelchair friendly'. A 45 minute trek, some of it over rough terrain.I spoke with a very knowledgeable guy (ranger) working in the glacier area and said how taken aback I was over how far the glacier had receded due to global warming. He was kind enough to explain what drives the glacier's advance and now retreat. He said people think the warming has directly melted the glacier. That is not the reason. The glacier is made from the amount of rain falling in the mountains, turning to snow and then ice. The ice pushing down the valley.The Cleddau Valley down by Milford Sound 150 miles away has over 13 meters of rain fall a year. As you travel north east along the Southern Alps the rain fall reduces. In the snow field catchment area at the head of the glacier the rainfall has dropped to 4 meters over the last few years. You need over 6 meters of rain turning to snow then ice for the glacier to advance. The glacier moves back and forth over a long period. The retreat may not stop for 100 years and then it will advance again. This is the cyclic weather pattern. I asked if global warming was effecting the weather pattern. The answer was, probably, slowly reducing the maximum extent of the glacier's advance.Go and see it if you can.Did they name the mints after the Fox Glacier ?

The glacier is an easy drive from Franz Josef through National Park. There are some interesting info boards and a decent car park area with bathrooms. The walk to the glacier itself is enjoyable, nice landscapes and some dramatic rock fall along the way. The waterfalls on the way were also pretty spectacular. I was surprised at how good a view of the glacier you got was from the roped off areas- certainly good enough to see the changing colours and the immensity of the structure. I had done an ice explorer tour in the morning with helicopter transfer onto/off the ice and about 3 hrs of walking on the glacier and was still impressed. In terms of accessibility, there are a couple of steep up and down hills to negotiate so if you are physically restricted you need to bear this in mind but the views even up to this point are still good.Highly recommended.

The Glacier was great, we took a walk -- thinking was a short walk around -noooooo it was a 3 hour "hike"... the Hike on the other hand was the 15 mim. walk around. So make sure you are fit to do what they offer.

The best way to see this glacier is through a helicopter flight. There are several companies in the area, which offer this experience. We chose The Helicopter Line.com. We found them very professional and pleasant. The 30 mins flight over the glacier, with a landing on the glacier included was the most exhilarating of many scenic helicopter flights, which I've taken on my travels. Worth every penny and should not be missed.

Totally worth taking the chopper ride to land on the glacier. The view from the helicopter was breathtaking and made up appreciate the magnificence of the vast expanse even more. However, beware of the weather conditions when booking the chopper ride. or the glacier hike. We were lucky enough to go for ours after only one postponed attempt sue to bad weather, but we did see a lot of disappointed faces due to rides cancelled post that.

While I am a big fan of guided tours when it's really beneficial, having read the reviews from other travelers, I decided not to bother on this walk and I'm really glad. It's a lovely walk - practically in any weather (it was raining off and on while we went) but it simply doesn't need any special equipment, clothing or guiding to enjoy. We enjoyed getting close to the waterfalls on the way (if the weather was nicer, I would have gone into the water), seeing the sections of glacier on the ground and then seeing the full face of the glacier at the end of the walk. You can't get very close to the glacier or walk onto it at the base, but it's a great sight nonetheless. We also found the combination of rainforest & glacier fascinating.

It was a 90 minute walk to the viewing area and was an easy walk.The views were great when you got there but you could still see the Glacier from the carpark.

The path up to the viewing point is easy, it is still quite a way to the actual glacier but worth a look

You drive along winding roads, through the mountain passes, and there are sub-tropical ferns and native trees, all the way Suddenly, there is a glacier; creeping down the mountain side, and visible for a distance, from the town. If you wish to walk up to the Glacier there is a track - there are also helicopter rides to overfly it; and for the less mobile or those with children, there is a viewing place close to the carpark, with an excellent vista.

The Glacier is pretty impressive from a distance and up close but I feel we only trully appreicated it when we went over it and landed on it in a helicopter which was an amazing experience and made the trip much better.

There is a walk to the glacier - if you are unsteady on your feet it may take you a bit longer. Not a steep walk, it is all flat but the path takes you along some rubble pathways. As you walk you can see the glacier up ahead so the excitement builds!!

Very popular walk to front of glacier. Approx 1.5 hours return. Some uphill towards the end but we'll worth the small climb.

The walk to the glacier is easy enough and you can't get that close but its is really interesting to see the glaciers and the landscape it has carved.