Once thorugh Wanaka, this "major road" we were traveling contained at least 20 one lane bridges - one of which was at least half a mile long. At this point, we realized just how few people actually reside or visit this part of the country. The most exciting part of visiting Franz Josef was the heli-hike we had planned up onto the glacier. The weather was questionable when we arrived at the starting point of the journey and we had to wait for a while to make sure the weather was OK - something about the fact they wanted to make sure if they dropped us on the glacier they could fly back up to get us, because it was a long hike down. We all agreed this was a good plan. Once we got the OK to go, we had to get suited up in the appropriate gear. As is often the case, there was a lot of complaining about boots that did not fit, pants that were uncomfortable, etc., but all was forgotten when the helicopter took to the skies...
None of the Spitzer's had ever flown in a helicopter before and we did not know what to expect, but it was a great experience. The pictures below of the glacier from the helicopter are beautiful, but cannot do the view justice as the different colors of the ice - especially the blue - are not easily discernable.
After about a 15 minute helicopter ride up to the middle of the glacier, it was time to land and do some hiking. Landing on a helipad made of glacier ice was interesting and as we got out and stood around I thought to myself...it is really windy up here. Then the helicopter took off and the wind disappeared and we were left in the calm and cold of the glacier standing with 10 other people and a guide. From a distance glaciers look like snow, but they are definitely ice so we all had to put on crampons in order to safely hike around. Ice axes were optional, but we grabbed a couple to feel like true adventurers. Here is a picture of Jo Ann and the girls prior to setting out on the hike...
Now when most people think of glaciers they think of large crevaces that open up and swallow hikers and then close just as quickly. Our guide assured us this only happened in the movies, and so off we went. Here is a good picture of Jo Ann and the girls with their crampons and ice axes in front of a large ice formation. 
All of the movement of the glacier creates amazing formations of ice, large pools of water, tunnels and holes where streams disappear. It is a landscape unlike any of us had ever seen. Here are more pictures from our time hiking on the glacier
After about one and one half hours of hiking on the glacier the helicopter came and picked us up and took us back to town. We were all tired, but thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to see a glacier up close. It was an experience none of us will soon forget. It was December 31st and that evening we met up with two other family's from Singapore for dinner as we were all in Franz Josef during this part of our trips. We had a great time visiting about what we had seen and done during our time in New Zealand.
The next morning we drove a little further up the coast to Greymouth, turned in our well used rental car and took a 3.5 hour train trip across the country to Christchurch. This was another fun experience for the girls who had never been on a real train (subways do not count) and gave Darrell a chance to enjoy the scenery as opposed to focusing on driving all the time. The next day we boarded our flight back to Singapore. We all agreed it was a great trip and we may have to go back again if we are in Singapore another year.
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