ADVENTURES IN NEW ZEALAND

Glacier Walking
    in New Zealand
                         —PAGE 4—

New Zealand’s got better rides than a theme park.
        

BY 2:30PM WE WERE ACCUSTOMED
TO OUR ICE LEGS.
Photo copyright © HOME AT FIRST

        Like most of us, she was a flatlander and a first-timer on a glacier. But she was clearly eldest (except for her like-old husband) at about 60 years old. She was an Aussie on her first trip to New Zealand. I don’t think she had ever seen snow before, let alone a sloping, moving river of ice. She had the most difficulty with getting in and out of the chopper, learning to walk with the ice aids, and overcoming her fear of slipping and falling. Pierre paid great attention to her, making sure that her experience was as positive as possible, seeing to it that she did not become too worried that she was spoiling things for the others, helping her stay at ease even when her tendency was to panic. Thanks to Pierre, the woman was a danger neither to herself nor to the others. But she should not have been there.

        A simple test will tell you if you should be there: are you afraid of falling in a slippery environment? If "Yes" is your answer, pick another adventure. Alpine Guides Fox Glacier has something suitable for you.

        By 2:30 PM we were feeling accustomed to our ice legs. Just when the braver, bolder, more foolish of us began to drift away from the group to see if we could get a better photo angle of some imposing ice structure or other, Pierre declared it time to descend to the chopper pick-up point. Amidst all the hills and rills, and the endless gray-white with ice-blue and chocolate-chip-brown accents, somehow Pierre pick-axed a path right to the drop zone. After 2.5 hours on the Fox, the only quasi-flat spot we had seen was the anvil the chopper landed on. And it would no longer be there tomorrow.

NO SOONER HAD WE SHED OUR CRAMPONS
THAN WE HEARD THE CHOPPER.
Photo copyright © HOME AT FIRST

        No sooner had we shed our crampons and pointy sticks than we heard the approach of the chopper. Scrambling into the helicopter proved no easier the second time. The pilot showed us some last remarkable scenery during the descent. Our arrival at the blockhouse reminded me of the end of an aerial tramway ride in the Alps. Except without cables. Changing back to civilian shoes felt a lot like taking off ice skates: for the first few minutes conventional walking was something of a new and amusing experience. I don’t remember the bus ride back to the headquarters. But I do remember I was the only one of our group of fifteen who did not end up buying a souvenir. I was tempted. It would have been a gratuity purchase, however. That is to say, it would be a way of saying "Thanks for this experience. It was worth the NZ$265 and more." Instead, I made up my mind to tell you about the trip. Next time you’re with Home at First in Westland, be sure to look up Alpine Guides Fox Glacier. Ask for Pierre.

NOTE: Prices in this article are current—2005-6—in New Zealand dollars.
For official information on their offerings, visit Alpine Guides Fox Glacier at their web site:

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