Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier & Surroundings

Here we'll show our visit to Fox Glacier, Gillespie Beach, Franz Josef Glacier and Lake Mathison.

Highlights of this area include:

• A visit to Fox Glacier.  This was a 3km walk to the face of the glacier that is 13km (8.1 miles) long and desends from the Alpine Mountains some 2,600m (8,500 feet).  From about 1985 this glacier has been extending about 1 meter a week until recently when it is receeding.  It is one of only a few (Franz Josef another) that ends in a rainforest.  Some 100 years ago, the glacier extended almost to the Tasman Sea.
• The New Zealand "Kea".  This is the world's only Alpine Parrot.  You saw pictures of some near the Homer Tunnel on the way to Milford Sound.  While in Fox Glacier, we were visited by this rubber eating friend who will bite the rubber from around your car windows and antennas.
• Gillespies Beach is on the far west coast of New Zealand and when you turn around and face the east, you see a magnificent mountain range including Mt. Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand reaching 3,754m or 12,316ft.  Your trip there will include about 6km of shingles (gravel road).
• A visit to Franz Josef Glacier.  This was also a 3km walk to the face of the glacier that is 12km (7.5 miles) long.  Both Fox and Franz Josef are considered #12 on the 101 Kiwi weekend listing.
• Coming in at #43 on the 101 Kiwi Weekend List is Lake Matheson.  The walk around the lake is about 5km or 3 miles and when the wind is not blowing offers some beautiful reflections of the mountain range to the east.

 Here's the 7.5 mile long Franz Josef Glacier.  You can see the people walking up to the face of the glacier.

Here's our friendly Kea.  I was attacked by four of them while snapping photos.  No harm done!

Here we are in front of the Fox Glacier.

Mt. Cook in the background from Lake Matheson.  You can see some of the reflection.

The mountain range from Gillespies Beach.

Here's Mt. Cook in the early evening.

Here's a sample of the scenery leading up to Fox Glacier.

Here are a few kayakers in the melt of Fox Glacier.

Here are pictures from Gillespies Beach.

Our friendly Keas.

Here's a sample of the photos we took while walking to Franz Josef glacier.

Our trip to Lake Matheson.

Evening photos of the mountain range.

Here's some pictures of the town of Fox Glacier - Population about 300.