It was 11 AM when we left Punakaiki, the land of the pancake rocks in South New Zealand for a 220 Kms scenic drive to Franz Josef Glacier. We did make several pitstops on the way, out of which Hokitika Gorge, (33 Kms from the town Hokitika) certainly took our breath away and the break did go beyond being a pitstop! The vivid turquoise shaded water surrounded by native flora is a must visit! Three hours later, after enjoying a dip in the freezing water and a nice walk amidst the bush, we found ourselves in our car, ready to continue with the rest of the scenic road, with another 130 Kms to reach Franz Josef. It was 6 PM when we first got a glimpse of a snow clad mountain! For someone living in South of India, the term ‘snow’ never finds a place in our dictionary, and the nearest place to receive snow is approximately 3000 Kms away!
Franz Josef is a quaint little town, surrounded by glacier peaks on all three sides. The town itself has only two main streets running parallel to each other and several other lanes that connects the two of them. However, let the size not bother you – for the place buzzes with several activities which includes endless walking trails, Kiwi centre (one of the finest in the country), dip in the hot springs coupled with Polynesian spa and innumerable cafes to feed tourists of all sorts. However what tops them all would be the helicopter ride atop the glaciers and it would be worthy to note that 70% of tourists taken up this activity. We were hooked on to the services offered by Fox & Franz Heliservices, a company that we got in touch with, well ahead of our travel to New Zealand and have ever since been communicating via eMails.
Fox & Franz Heliservices is run by Blair Chapman (CEO) along with a wonderful team who seem to know the nitty gritty’s of the glacier and who also quickly understands the needs of the tourist and suggest only the best. Although the company has been in operations since 1987, when Founder and Director James Scott envisioned an increasing demand for helicopter options at Franz Josef and Fox Glacier, it was in the year 2016 that the company was reformed.
We were probably the first to arrive at the office of Fox & Franz Heliservices and got cosy with a damn fine cup of coffee offered by the cafe that is situated within the office itself. We were greeted by the General Manager, Michael Nolan, with whom we have been in touch with for a long time now. A few minutes into the conversation, he recommended the twenty minutes ride with a snow landing either on Fox or Franz Josef depending on the weather conditions. Although there is a scheduled departure every 30 minutes, a lot of it is dependant on the weather conditions. Fortunately for us, the gloomy day was slowly paving way for little sunshine and we decided to wait a little longer for a bring sunny day.
The glaciers – Fox and Franz, are quite unique indeed. They are the only glaciers in the world to descend into the temperate rainforest, except for the glaciers in Argentina which also descends into rainforest. Mount Cook and Mount Tasman are the tallest mountains in New Zealand and when landing about the Fox Glacier, Mt. Tasman can be viewed in all its glory and Mt. Cook is quite visible as well, just behind the view of Mt. Tasman.
The first European description of any sorts of one of the west coastal glaciers (widely believed to be Franz Josef) was made in the log of a ship named Mary Lousia in the year 1859. The glacier was first explored in the year 1865 by geologist Julius Von Haast, who named it after the Austrian emperor (Franz Joseph I of Austria). Geologists have recorded that during the ice age, the glacier extended as a huge ice sheet well beyond its current coastline. While the glacier has considerably retreated in the present time, one can still cogitate its past by observing its present landscape. The Maori name for the glacier is Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere (The tears of Hine Hukatere) – a local legend where Hine Hukatere loved climbing and persuaded her lover, Wawe to join her in one of the climbs. Being less experienced but also wanting to accompany her, Wawe continued to climb the mountain ranges, until an avalanche swept Wawe to his death. Hukatere was devastated and her endless tears flowed down the mountain and froze to form the glacier.
An hour into the wait, the weather got better, if not the best and our helicopter was ready to take off as well. Accommodating four to six passengers every flight, one does not feel claustrophobic or left with the feeling of ‘not having seen it all’. Our skilled Pilot spent a good amount of time explaining the safety aspects and right after that, we were up in the air, with our senses levitated already. The Pilot explains each and every possible detail – like from which direction/mountain range a particular glacier lake was formed and what was the wind type that caused the melt down etc., While we made the effort to note these points in our heads, we were totally absorbed by what lay before and below us. The mountains with their creeks, standing on their tiptoes – possibly trying to reach the stars, how many avalanches have gracefully reclined in their glorious history? The answer one can only comprehend by seeing the avalanche chutes.
We landed on the Fox glacier, a sheet of endless ice with few snowy peaks in the distant horizon. As we set foot on the snow, thoughts swirled in our minds – should we speak something so that our voices could pass from peak to peak or should we just walk around as if there is no tomorrow? We ended up doing neither! We just stood there, quiet, not wanting to disturb the gushing wind. We must have just spent five minutes when our Pilot quickly caught clouds marching into our return flight path. We quickly made our way back to the chopper, and headed for our journey back to the ground! The weather had quickly turned hostile and our experienced Pilot managed not just to stay ahead of the clouds but still explained a lot more about the glaciers.
While it might sound like a scene taken off from a movie, right after we landed, we were engulfed by a huge wind followed by the marching clouds! How lucky we got! We not only witnessed the aerial view of a glacier and set foot on it but also got chased in it. Back to the Fox & Franz Heliservices, we were welcomed by Michael Nolan for a quick photograph! All the tourists are photographed right after their flight (when they still can’t stop smiling) – a very thoughtful gesture on part of the company.
Quick Tips
- Fox & Franz Heliservices offer several flight packages. Besides the one mentioned above, there is also a thirty minutes flight to both Fox Glacier and Mt. Cook and includes a snow landing inside the Westland National Park where one can view the Southern Alps including Mt. Tasman.
- It would be wise to stay in Franz Josef for a minimum of 2-3 nights. When you feel the weather is good enough, take the ride immediately (this is where one needs to take the experts help at Fox & Franz Heliservices). Even if you don’t get lucky, you should be able to wait for the next day and hope for a better weather. We also heard that it doesn’t stay gloomy for too long and the weather does change rapidly.
- Fox & Franz Heliservices are very particular about safety guidelines. You cannot attach Go Pro cameras or anything of that nature on the helicopter nor can you stick your hand out or use a selfie stick while at flight. Enough time is given during snow landing to quench everyone’s selfie thirst.
- Take the most comprehensive scenic flight route if the weather permits.
Leave a reply