It's a light grey day today. It doesn't look like rain, although that is in the forecast - maybe later. So it's a good morning to see the glacier. This one and the one at nearby Franz Joseph are the only glaciers in the world that end in temperate rain forest, and near sea level too. There's an unofficial shuttle bus the 3 miles up the dirt road to the parking lot (you call up 0800-FOX-BUS and an elderly man comes to his "stop" to pick you up), so I took that rather than cycle. The road looked ok, and it probably would have been fine, but it's nice to have a day off pedalling.
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| Fox Glacier |
I did a couple of walks. The first was the short "tour bus route" to near the foot of the glacier. The second was a little longer: it started along the river through the dripping rain forest, and then went up to the Chalet Overlook that gives a good view of the whole lower part of the glacier. This trail was quieter, with only a few other people. Unlike the Hooker Glacier on the other side of Mt. Cook, this one is not covered with moraine, so you see the blue-white glacier ice all the way up. Not as pristine as the Alaska glaciers, and no obvious calving, but quite impressive.
The rain set in on the shuttle ride back, and it looks like it will rain for the rest of the day. I've been sitting on the porch at the hostel, watching the rain, and catching up with my e-mail and chat using the WiFi. I guess I won't get to see "the most photographed view in New Zealand" from the lake I cycled to yesterday evening.