franz josef
imagine ice. lots of ice. then multiply what you've imagined by about a thousand and you have an approximation of the franz josef glacier on the west coast of nz. it's like a really, really, big freezer cabinet, but a lot more impressive. never willing to let hazardous nature alone, the kiwis have got into the habit of hiking up this frozen monolith, which changes daily, and now dragging unsuspecting backpackers along too.the drive to franz josef was beautiful enough, meandering through the southern alps, flanked by large snow capped peaks and vast clear lakes. even though it feels a bit too much like a package tour sometimes i'm well settled into my stray bus, and have acquired some safe people to loiter with: alongside myriad germans, charlie and paddy (english and irish) hae been keeping me well entertained. we all booked onto a glacier hike, blanched at the 7.30am start time, and got on with it.
it probably wasn't a good idea to get on the beers that night, but these things happen. stumbling into our dorm at past 1am, 7am did not seem remotely far away enough. when the alarm went and i fell out my bunk, red eyed and cursing, it was clear that we had been right to be worried. still, whilst the first hour was painful, the view at the foot of the glacier provided more than enough adrenaline to see me through. all you can see is a sheer wall of ice, with people hacking steps out of it for us to climb up. i'd been raving about the $100 price tag for one guide for 12 people, but for once in nz it was justified: all the companies have dozens of staff up on the ice all day refreshing the paths and steps that are constantly degraded by the shifting ice. we had a particlary safe guide, a chap from chesire called lee, who led the way, and we set off in our boots and spikes up the terminal face. this is the steepest it's been for eight years, so it was a tough clamber, but lee had to keep stopping to carve out steps with his ice axe (which is cracking fun to play with, although paddy was enjoying crashing through the ice a bit too much for comfort) so your heart rate never really got going. walking on ice is really daunting at first, but once you start to trust the grip of the spikes on your feet it gets a lot easier... it was a good thing i got off when i did as i was starting to get over confident, and would probably have pirouetted into a crevasse.
the trek was really worth the money, a complete rarity for nz. once you get over a lip you can see the entire glacier, not visible from the ground, in its awe inspiring entirety... a jagged wall of white and blue ice, reaching up into the sky, guarded by two huge white mountains. we even found a little blue ice cave that we could wander through, completely enclosing ourselves within the glacier. on the way down, we saw the hordes waiting to go up, and suddenly the early start seemed like a a fantatsic idea. i was a happy man once we'd finished, although the effects of the night before caught back up pretty quickly.
after a transit stop in a sleepy little place called haast, i'm now in the horrifically touristy queenstown... curry houses and fish and chip shops everywhere. nz once again disappoints as soon as it amazes as a travelling experience. one of the bus companies, the kiwi experience, is famed for being the party bus: full of 18-20 years old being very young, all the time. all well and good for a few beers and from a distance, but generally to be avoided, which is why we all chose stray. booking into our (extortionate) dorm, arranged by stray, we went in to find debris all over the floor. this lucky hostel takes both stray and kiwi experience, so we have to share a room with the little shits,and all the crap that comes with them. will be moving out tomorrow: tonight should be ok, as it's my last night with the boys before i head north, so it may end up them complaining about us.
posted by bicrom @ 4:51 am
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