the best New Zealand Adventure Tour
Excellent itinerary. Good kitchen set up. When arranging trip e mails were all answered quickly and answered my questions well. Excellent driver — very patient, generous with his time.
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Glacier Hiking in New ZealandGlacier Hiking in New ZealandOne of the most stunning natural wonders of New Zealand has to be the Glaciers. There are two main ones to choose from - Fox or Franz.
On the Flying Kiwi trip we take the time to explore the one so good they named a mint after it! At 13kms, Fox Glacier is the longest of the awe inspiring NZ West Coast glaciers, and it's 36 square km neve is bigger than the size of Christchurch city! At its head soaring peaks of over 3 000m (10 000ft) dominate the vista. These include Aoraki (Mt Cook) and Mt Tasman, which weather permitting, can be viewed when reaching the upper parts of the Glacier on the one of the Heli hiking experiences. NZ's west coast glaciers are unique and are probably the most accessible glaciers in the world, as they terminate amongst temperate rainforest just 250 metres above sea level. Nowhere else does this happen! Glaciers constantly advance and retreat, held in the delicate balance by the accumulation of snow gained in the upper glacier and ice melting in the lower part. An increase in snowfall at the neve will result in the glacier advancing. Correspondingly, a faster melt will result in the glacier retreating. Overall Fox Glacier has been advancing since 1985. There are a number of operators offering trips on the Glacier and all ensure you are well equipped with crampons, sturdy boats and for the more adventurous a snow axe! You can try a basic hike, a heli hike (getting you further up the mountain) or even try your hand at ice climbing! Its an outstanding experience and as the conditions constantly change no two trips are the same. Costs from $85 Trips Ultimate Explorer, Reverse Traverse, Summer Blast, Wild West |
