Franz Josef
Continuing our trek south on Hwy 6, we came to Franz Josef, a small village just a few kilometers from the impressive Franz Josef Glacier. The town is definitely focused on tourism, so we found plenty of shops and restaurants to serve every taste. We met up with John and Carol Brewer just outside of town. With no cell, text or email, I still can’t figure out how we managed to coordinate as well as we did.
In any event, it was late in the afternoon when we got there, so we chose to check into our rooms first. We stayed just north of town at the Westwood Lodge, a cross between a bed and breakfast and a hotel. Then we were off to explore in the town.
Everything is located right on Hwy 6 (Franz Josef Highway) or 1 block east on Cron Street. There are plenty of friendly and well staffed outfitters and tour operators, all located within a block or two. (Of course, the town is only three blocks long…) The Franz Josef Glacier dominates the skyline to the south of the town. Almost dead ahead, looking south from the town you get a great view of the Franz Josef Glacier.
We had dinner in a local place on Cron Street – Alice May’s. Then, since it was still early, we took a short walk around the town to get our bearings for the next morning. With Julie driving and John navigating, we headed back to the Westwood Lodge. I should mention that there was a bit of confusion on the return trip to our lodging. The ‘kids in the front seat’ couldn’t agree on the best place to park, or even the best route into the parking lot. Fortunately, Carol and I figured it out from the back seat. Kids!
Taking Flight
The next morning we headed back into the town. We had a 10 AM helicopter ride taking us over the Fox Glacier and then landing on the Franz Josef Glacier. The glacier descends into the lush native rain forest of Westland’s National Park near the village of Franz Josef. This descent occurs from a height of nearly 10,000 to 750 feet above sea level over just 11 km. This makes it one of the steepest glaciers in the country. We were landing near the top, and we were all pumped!
Carol and John were new to helicopters and Carol had plenty of questions during the safety brief. Once we were briefed, we headed across the road to the airfield and met our pilot. As he started the engine, and went through his checks, we had more safety briefs- approaching the aircraft, hand signals, emergency procedures, loading order, etc., and then we loaded into the helicopter.
We were all smiles as we lifted off the ground, turned and headed south. With nothing but mountains ahead of us, the helicopter climbed and climbed over a series of ridges. The higher we went the better the view. Finally, crossing the last ridge we started a left turn and headed for Fox Glacier. Crossing the narrow ice flow we then flew up and across the Fox Glacier’s snow field and towards Franz Josef Glacier.
We didn’t realize how high we were or how large the glacier’s snow field was until the pilot pointed to a speck on the ground. As we got closer that little speck resolved into a helicopter and a hut on the ground. Suddenly the scale of what we were looking at changed! These glaciers are huge! Continuing to climb up the glacier we landed on a spot close to the top of the mountain, on the eastern edge of the snow field feeding the glacier. The elevation was a bit over 9800 feet.
This was our first walk on top of a glacier, so it took a few minutes to figure out what to do. Initially, we all just tromped through the icy snow and looked around at the ice and mountains in awe. Then came the snow angels and putting snow down the backs of jackets. Being up there at the top of a glacier was fun, exciting and awe inspiring. We had an absolutely fantastic time. But, after about 40 minutes it was time to head back down.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
Climbing back into the helicopter was interesting as we realized that the skids had sunk into the snow on landing. Once buckled in and everything checked, we lifted off and swung to follow the glacier down the mountain. As we picked up speed we slowly climbed to a few hundred feet over the ice and followed the curving valley down.
The view was amazing. As the ice became more and more fractured, we could see the blue ice under the covering snow. The colors and texture was impressive. Soon we passed over the face of the glacier then climbed out of the valley before curving west of the village. The pilot then made a long gentle turn to bring us into the airfield from the west.
We all agreed that the trip was worth it. While the flight itself was an adventure, it doesn’t compare to the stunning visual display of nature we experienced. But the opportunity to walk on the snow above the glacier was an experience we’ll not soon forget. If you make it to Franz Josef, make sure you find a way to get to the top of the glacier!
After lunch the four of us drove up the south side of the Waiho River to the Alex Knob Trail and the Franz Josef Glacier Carpark. From there he headed out on foot with the goal of hiking to the face of the glacier. Walking through a rain forest trail to the river we noticed that Mother Nature wasn’t going to cooperate with us. When a light rain started, John and Carol pulled out their rain ponchos while Julie and I just stared at each other. Over the next 20 minutes the rain became harder and colder, so Julie and I turned back. The Brewers plowed ahead to the face. Julie and I dried off at the car as best we could and waited for our adventurous companions to return.
Permalink