The next day, we started our trip south along the coast. The weather cleared a little bit and we got our first glimpse of the Southern Alps from the west side, peaking out from behind the clouds.
A little further on we got our first good views of the mountains from the highway:
There are two major glaciers (pronounced "glay-see-ers" in NZ) that are easy to get to from the west coast highway. Highway, of course, means something different in New Zealand than it does in the US. The only major road in the west part of the South Island is SH6, a winding little two-lane road that hugs the coast as the space between the mountains and the ocean gets narrower and narrower. At several points, glaciers used to come right down out of the mountains and extend into the ocean. They've retreated since then, but they are still sitting in their glacier troughs and can be viewed after a hike up the moraine.
We first encountered Franz Josef Glacier on our way south. We all did the hike up to the terminal face of the glacier under a low cloud cover. The sense of scale during this hike was staggering - the steep walls rise up as you make your way to the face of the natural phenomenon that created the incredible valley surrounding you. Here is a shot up the valley toward the glacier.
Here are Evelyn and Jasper during the hike. You can see the gravel under foot that was ground out of the mountains by the glacier and washed into the valley by the rains.
Another photo up the valley:
To give you a sense of scale and size - those are my parents and Jasper at the foot of those waterfalls coming off the valley walls.
To the left is the foot of the glacier, covered in part by dust, dirt and rock:
Some of the many waterfalls that we passed on the way:
My folks, following the DOC green-and-yellow signposted trail up to the glacier. See, Steve and Halina? They are doing great!
More waterfalls. I have plenty more photos of waterfalls - just ask.
Evelyn sitting with Aidan, pondering the epochs that produced the scene around us:
The rocks have this red lichen growing on them, which gives them kind of a pinkish hue. After reading "Some Facts About Lichens" and "The Lichen Flora of New Zealand," I now know that these are saxicolous lichens and are one of more than 1300 species of lichen in New Zealand. For more fascinating lichen information, please see: http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio13Tuat02-t1-body-d4.html
Jasper and I showing what we think about people who dislike glaciers and/or lichens:
My father, crafting a hypothesis regarding the vertical striation of the valley wall.
Looking back down the valley toward the ocean. The waterfalls and glacial melt created this river that we walked along.
Dad, Aidan, and Jasper - almost to the glacier!
The face of the glacier with the rest hidden by clouds.
Aidan, considering the fate of this and all other glaciers in the face of rising world temperatures.
A group photo with the glacier in the background:
Another entry in the continuing photo essay, Perils of Stickman. In this image, we can imagine Stickman crushed either by a giant white thing or many small black things. In either case, we admire Stickman for the way he seems to be rushing headlong into danger, even as we know he will surely be crushed. The white and black images represent the yin and yang of Stickman's perils, the symbolic universe crushing him as he raises one arm awkwardly in defiance of his fate. White, black, it makes no difference - Stickman is doomed, and yet he carries on, one leg much longer than the other.
A good shot of the glacier - imagine the rest of the massive ice sheet extending up beyond this terminal face.
My mother, back against the ropes, ready to head back out into the ring and take on the glacier.
A cool photo of the rock face on the valley wall:
Aidan and Evelyn skipping back down the trail
A close up of the river running alongside the trail:
We stayed in the Gecko House. It was not very gecko-y. Here are the boys, playing a game, while I pass out. You can see the worst Jenga set in the world on the table. The pieces were not terribly rectilinear.
Here is the jungle out our front door. It was a pretty cool little place to stay.
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