The helicopter flight up to the glacier lasted only 10 exhilerating minutes, and when we touched down it felt strange to stand on our feet.
Jason, our guide, provided us with "cramp-ons", metal spikes we strapped to the insoles of our boots. Apparently, these little spikes would keep us from slipping down into unspeakable doom within one of the many crevasses we'd pass by too closely, on our way up the face of the glacier.
The glacier was incredible. It's actually been growing in size since the 1970's in contrast to many other glaciers around the world which are shrinking steadily. Because of the drastic change in elevation with the surrounding mountains, these glaciers come down to an elevation of only a few hundred meters above sea level.
Franz Josef village has a great english-style pub, in which we ate all our dinners. After a couple of days here it was time to head further south...to Queenstown!
We had a chance to explore some ice caves, and Rob's left leg had a chance to test the depth of a water-filled hole. The water was cold apparently.
Ever wary of the gaping crevasses, Chris was still able to find the nerve to pose for a photo emerging from a narrow ice tunnel.
