Fox Glacier in New Zealand’s Westland National Park
See our new Explorer Guide on “Glaciers – The Power of Ice”
The sheer cliffs of the lower area by the parking … as the hike begins.
The ice cave at the melting end of the glacier. This area will likely collapse within a few months.
Looking up into the Terminal Face of the glacier…..starting to hike onto the glacier. The high ridges and cracks caused by the pressure
Think we’ll call this "Dave on the Rocks.” Notice in the photos the barren rock and then vegetation above it ... this is the mark from about 2008 where the glacier was then.
Looking down to the river through the melting glacier. Notice in the photos the barren rock and then vegetation above it that marks from about 2008, how high the glacier was at that time.
One of the many blue crevasses along the top of the glacier.
Another of the many cracks and crevasses along the top of the glacier.
A wider angle on the cracks on the glacier
This the huge bolder I mention in the story, the size of a small truck which has been moving down the glacier for the past five years, and although it’s been in plain sight all along, no one has ever seen it move. The slow and unstoppable power of the glacier has twisted, turned and flipped the stone without anyone noticing it over the past five years.
#1 – Click arrows to advance! Scroll over to read descriptions.
The crystal like angles that the ice assumes under the powerful pressure
Exotic formations of the melting ice in the ice cave.
More shots up the glacier….just so much beauty to absorb at every moment.
A great shot of the exposed and barren faces of the canyon showing how much the glacier has melted in the past five years. The vegetation line is from 2008.
Jess, our guide gives us safety instruction as we hike up into more ice.
Off we go … hiking up into the ice
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Another good shot of the vegetation lines, near and in the distance, where the glacier was just five years ago.
I know I repeat myself … Beautiful ice formations
Rock, ice and mountains and a waterfall … surround the glacier.
#2 – Click arrows to advance! Scroll over to read descriptions.
Check out our Explorer Guide on Glaciers for some amazing facts about Fox Glacier:
The ice is in constant motion …
The eye is in constant motion as well, trying to make sense of this otherworldly beauty
Dave in an ice cave … and one we could pass all the way through. We were one of the first groups to see this particular ice cave and go through it. Jess said it might well be closed up and gone in just a couple of days.
Another shot from inside that same cave looking out
The eternally contemporary art of ice … too too cool!
The dancing beauty of a hidden waterfall
The wet darkness of the earth, the frosty brightness of the ice, and the perfect fluidity of the water …
Up into an ice canyon … this shot gives you a sense of the scale of the glacier. Trust me, it’s humbling.
A melting black hole. Though there’s nothing to show the scale of it, this is probably about 10 feet across and it is there to feed a huge and fast growing break-off of more ice.
Back to the huge bolder the size of a truck … on the way … from a different angle
An ablation marker. These poles are driven level to the top of the ice. As the ice melts, they become exposed. This marker shows a meter or more of ice has vanished, and it only took a week to happen.
A parting shot of the beautiful surface of the ice. Do you think the early cave painters might have seen signs and symbols in these markings? I know I did.
An ablation marker. These poles are driven level to the top of the ice. As the ice melts, they become exposed. This marker shows a meter or more of ice has vanished, and it only took a week to happen.
Back to the huge bolder the size of a truck … on the way … from a different angle
A melting black hole. Though there’s nothing to show the scale of it, this is probably about 10 feet across and it is there to feed a huge and fast growing break-off of more ice.
Up into an ice canyon … this shot gives you a sense of the scale of the glacier. Trust me, it’s humbling.
The wet darkness of the earth, the frosty brightness of the ice, and the perfect fluidity of the water …
The dancing beauty of a hidden waterfall
The eternally contemporary art of ice … too too cool!
Another shot from inside that same cave looking out
Dave in an ice cave … and one we could pass all the way through. We were one of the first groups to see this particular ice cave and go through it. Jess said it might well be closed up and gone in just a couple of days.
The eye is in constant motion as well, trying to make sense of this otherworldly beauty
The ice is in constant motion …
Rock, ice and mountains and a waterfall … surround the glacier.
#3 – Click arrows to advance! Scroll over to read descriptions.
Cwm Idal in the Glyderai Mountains of North Wales
The glaciated landscapes of North America, Europe, South America, and New Zealand were formed during this Ice Age.
