You’d think I’d have had enough of glaciers after visiting Antarctica, but I will never get tired of ice! We visited the Tasman Glacier and hiked up a big hill to see it in the distance, me lugging my camera bag full of heavy lenses (like hell was I leaving it behind in the carpark).
It wasn’t awe-inspiring. Despite knowing that our glaciers have been retreating, it’s quite striking to actually see how far the glacier has receded in the past 20 years. A muddy ice-melt and moraine lake stretches the length of the valley that was once buried under ice, and off in the distance the glacier winds up into the hills. It’s covered in a thick layer of moraine, or fallen rocks, that hide the icy surface. A few dirty icebergs dotted the lake, run aground on the rocks.
We set off home, well-exercised but underwhelmed. Until Dad decided that we should take a helicopter ride up the valley to the top of the glacier. Cue overexcitement.
I’d never been in a helicopter before, and I’ve wanted to almost my whole life. So that in itself was hugely exciting. Travelling up the valley, you get a real sense of how glaciers work and move over time, their immense weight driving them down the valley from the peaks of the Southern Alps.
And standing on top of a glacier, well, that’s really something else. Still cradled by mountains, but at the top of this immense ice river that pours down the valley, there’s a feeling of huge power that is barely restrained. The textures and shapes the ice makes as it moves, buckles, and cracks into fathomless crevasses are fascinating. I couldn’t stop grinning, or taking photos, or just scooping up handfuls of snow to feel the cold bite.
On the way back down the valley we took a spin by the Hochstetter Icefall, chaotic chunks of ice frozen mid-tumble down the side of Aoraki (Mt. Cook). Pressing my face to the window, I saw a flash of red as a Kea, New Zealand’s endemic alpine parrot flew below. Olive-green to blend into their surroundings, their wings open to reveal vibrant patches of salmon-red feathers. Kea are smart, tenacious birds that terrorise tourists by ripping the rubber window-seals from cars, and steal food whenever possible. I adore them, but haven’t yet had the chance to spend time photographing them.
Back down on the ground at Aoraki/Mt. Cook Airport, staring back up at the mountains, I could hardly believe that we’d just been standing on to of the Tasman Glacier. It seemed too extraordinary, but there are pilots who fly up there every day (weather permitting) to take tourists to stand on the ice. I wouldn’t mind that for a job!
