#Fox Glacier

[lichtschimmer]

New Zealand, Fox Glacier - webcam

[pisssleuth]

from a 2018 trip to New Zealand

[colonellickburger]

Ian Berry. Fox Glacier, South Island, New Zealand

[legionnaireslover]

HELICOPTER RIDE AND MORE!!

[scrapblring]

The mirror lake

[cllnsllvn]

Fox Glacier - Lake Matheson

Today, I headed back down to Fox Glacier to do a few more walks that I didn't have the time (or energy!) to do yesterday. I had planned to do the Lake Matheson walk anyway, but the heli-hike guide yesterday suggested coming in the morning while the sky was blue and the lake was still. I didn't quite make it for the still lake (the best times are dawn and dusk and I was definitely not up before the sun rose), but I did make it for the blue skies! The weather has really been spoiling me on this trip.

You can see how sunny it is based on the glare on the photo! They had this cute little photo frame that you could stand in with Mt Tasman and Mt Cook framed nicely in the photo. The next several pictures will be all varying photos of the same view 😂 (don't come at me, they're all slightly different and equally beautiful) from different viewpoints along the loop around the lake.

When the lake is really clear and there's no wind, there's a perfect reflection of the mountain range in the background. As you can see, that is not quite the case here, but it is still beautiful! From this track, there is another track that shoots off called the Lake Gault Track. This claims to be a 3-hour return trek to another lake nearby with a different angle of the same view. Lake Matheson and Lake Gault were both formed when the Fox Glacier retreated and left a depression that later filled with water. Another such lake is Lake Mapourika, where I did my kayaking tour the other day. That lake is 80m deep, so I imagine these two could be something similar.

Luckily, it did not take me 3 hours - it only took two. Thank goodness for that because it was a bit of a brutal uphill that I wasn't quite expecting. And so returned Colleen soup. 🥵 It was surprisingly hot today - and the sun was at peak form.

After the walk, I went to get the beef jalapeno bagel from the Matheson Cafe (also a recommendation from our glacier guide) for a quick lunch. The energy replenishment was absolutely needed! A short drive away is Gillespie Beach, so I took a gander that way to check it out. I ended up sitting for a while and reading my book while watching the dolphins swim around! I have included a video down below - the dolphins are small and you might have to be patient, but there are a few in the video. Plus, I found a cool rock. And you can see how shattered I am from the hike 😂

Last up, I stopped at another glacier viewpoint with a giant waka. According to Māori legend, Aoraki and his brothers Rakirua, Rakiroa, and Rarakiroa descended from heaven to meet their half-brothers. While they explored the southern ocean, Tāwhirimātea sent a devastating storm, capsizing their waka. Aoraki, his brothers and crew, scrambled onto the side of their overturned canoe to avoid being flung into the maelstrom. The storm’s violence turned everything to stone - the waka, the crew, and their cargo - so creating the South Island, or Te Waka a Aoraki. The crew became the Southern Alps, with Aoraki petrified as the highest peak, Aoraki - Mount Cook, surrounded by his brothers as neighbouring peaks. (Yes, I did take that from a website - link here).

The brothers became Rakirua Mount Teichelmann, Rakiroa Mount Dampier, Rarakiroa Mount Tasman, and, the tallest of them all, Aoraki Mount Cook. I headed back to the hostel, ready to rest. I almost fell asleep playing my daily games on my phone at the table at 5 pm. I had to go have a snack to stay awake! All in all, a very successful trip to Glacier Country!

[unusedrooms]

The Fox Glacier to Queenstown Day Tour offers a scenic journey through New Zealand's South Island, departing from Fox Glacier and arriving in Queenstown. The tour begins at 8:35 am from the Fox Glacier Guides Building and concludes at 4:30 pm at the Athol St carpark in Queenstown. Along the way, travelers will experience breathtaking mountain and lake views, including Lake Hawea, Lake Dunstan, Lake Wanaka, and Lake Wakatipu. The route also passes through vast rainforests, crystal-clear waterfalls, and rugged mountain tops, providing ample opportunities for photography and appreciation of New Zealand's natural beauty. This one-way tour is ideal for those planning to stay in Queenstown or continue their journey from there. As of November 4, 2024, the tour is priced at $179.40 AUD.

[jeanhm]

[eregyrn-falls]

My personal favorite (click for a larger version): a series of warning signs as you approach Fox Glacier on the South Island of NZ. You can (or at least, could back in '07) walk on an easy path up to very nearly the face of the glacier. At the time, the only thing preventing you from continuing to walk right up and lick the glacier or something was a fence that was just those yellow ropes. (I don't think they were electrified or anything like that. They were more of a notional barrier.)

The signs were very clearly trying to convey to you why you should not go past the yellow ropes. Rocks may fall on your head! The glacier is calving all the time and may drop huge hunks of ice on your head! Hunks of ice calving off into the river may create huge waves that can swamp you! No, seriously, no matter how shallow it looks, do NOT go in the water at any time.

In trying to look up whether there is a more substantial barrier now or what, I found out that Fox Glacier has retreated substantially from where it ended when I was there in '07. Hard to tell, but it looks like you can no longer hike as close to the face as you once could.

this is by far my favorite safety/warning sign btw. they really went off with this one

[mega-stellar]

Fox Glacier & Franz Josef Glacier Westland Tai Poutini National Park, New Zealand February 2019

@MegaStellar_

[karma-creations]

I WANT TO SEE UR OCS RN!!!!

OC BLAST!!!!!!!!

I gave them all fun new outfits :DDD

[redtippedfox]

I wonder what power ups are showing up in Timey Wimey?

[misquotedmosquito]

[what-fox-is-this]

Species: Red Fox (Vuples Vulpes)

Color Morph: Fire and Ice Whitemark (AAbbppWw, AABbppWw, AABBppWw + fire factor)

Possible in nature: No

Source

[wyvolf]

furry ? what about sparkledogs of two of them!! Inspired to post this bc of hellphure grins

fun fact! the bright dog design is something I made 3 years ago! Yippee!

// update: I no longer use Dr. Bright (or Mikell), his author AdminBright/Michael Peters is a nonce (aka pedophile groomer freak). You cannot separate this art (Bright) piece from the creator (AdminBright). Sparkledog Bright however is still my character BUT I am separating him from Bright