Franz Josef Glacier

What You Need To Know About Franz Joseph Glacier, New Zealand
When you hear "New Zealand", what do you first think of? Sheep grazing on acres of lush green hills? Perhaps bungee jumpers leaping from cliffs? What about exploring the unique beauty of a glacier? Considering that the polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate, now is the time to explore a glacier before they become rare.

New Zealand's Franz Joseph Glacier is considered the safest glacier for tourists to explore as long as you are with an experienced guide. Because of it's location in the South Island, it has not been unduly harmed yet by the effects of climate change. As far as glaciers go, it's about the healthiest on the planet. That makes it predictable and safer to explore.

History

The glacier is named after the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, who never did actually come to ever look at his namesake. The name was respectfully given in 1865 by the first European to explore the area, Austrian Julius Haast. The Franz Joseph glacier is near another spectacular glacier called the Fox, but the Franz Joseph is the one that pulls in the most visitors - about 250,000 per year.

New Zealanders have kept a respectful distance from the glacier with the first township some five miles from it called Glacier County. But this township has loads of creature comforts that can help you find all of the glacial sights and delights. The first sight you have to get used to is where the Franz Jospeph is located - right next to a tropical rain forest.

Glacial Sights

It might seem that a bunch of ice and snow is kind of boring. But not when you are there. It's as if you have been transported to another world, where the ice and snow have minds of their own. Glaciers can suddenly drop off large chunks of ice in a process called "calving". All glaciers do this. But some of these calves of ice can weight hundreds of pounds.

Another fun feature of glaciers is called crevasses. They are massive cracks in the ice that lead to holes several feet or several miles deep. There are also glacial caves, which are literally caves in the glacier itself. Although they are brilliant to visit, you do not want to live there. Fortunately, they can be easily detected by an experienced guide.

This is why you need an experienced guide with you to keep you from getting clobbered on the head by a glacial calf or from falling into a crevasse or glacial cave. Fortunately, the allure of the glaciers has caused many qualified and experienced tour groups to set up shop in the area.

Activities

There are many ways you can explore the Franz Joseph glacier and the rainforests surrounding it. You can go by helicopter, horseback, rafts, buggies, kayak or your own two feet. Because it is so popular, there are always accommodations available in Glacier County. These range from hotels to camping grounds.