Franz Josef Glacier

We spent the first day of the new year at a much anticipated place: the Franz Josef Glacier. We quickly hurried through the overly touristic Franz Josef town and made our way up the road to the glacier. This road follows the glacial river. The valley is filled with beautifully blooming (red) Southern Rata trees.

Along the road, signs marked the extent of the glacier in the past, and we still had a few kilometers to drive! A sign at the start of the hike showed how quickly it has receded, especially in the last 150 years. Back then, the glacier filled the valley. Now vegetation was filling the newly available land. Different stages of forest growth, from moss to shrubs to trees, show how long it has been since the glacial retreat. Young, light green forest is 50 years old, whereas the red rata only dominates between 120-200 years after the retreat. After 200 years it is taken over by more mature, dark forest. Very interesting, and making the "timeline" visible.

But more dramatic was the hike itself. The glacial river was filled with small icebergs, chunks of ice that continuously break off the glacier. The trail to the base of the glacier was quite long, especially considering that the parking lot used to be covered in a thick sheet of ice. And the Department of Conservation continuously has to extend the trail to keep up with the receding glacier. When we got to the end, we were disappointed by how small it was. In this case, we weren't being snobby tourists with too high expectations of an attraction. It's a testament to how little ice is left.

Most shocking was the sign at the start of the hike, installed in 2010, which asked, "Will this be Franz Josef Glacier in 2100?" The picture looked eerily similar to the view we had at that moment. It's only been 7 years.. Unfortunately the only question left asking here is when Franz Josef Glacier will disappear completely.

On a side note, we had a surprise guest when we returned back to the parking lot, a Kea! A rare alpine parrot. In the winter time, when their food, flowers and insects, becomes scarce they can be quite mischievous and destructive. They eat people's windshield wipers and dig through people's bags. Regardless, they are a beautiful bird with green feathers and orange under their wings. Luckily, the Department of Conservation tracks their movement, warns travelers to keep an eye out and protects their habitat.Read more