Franz Josef

Today we climbed a glacier and it was epic. We had to meet the guide at 8:45 so we dragged ourselves out of bed and put layers of clothes on. We met Bridget and Mike at reception who were still drunk from their night out. It was a gorgeous morning after an awful day yesterday.

At the guide shop we paid ($260) and were suited and booted in comfy boots and socks, blue jackets and black waterproof trousers. Looking like little Eskimos we were weighed and put on a helicopter. The pressure from the prepella was strong. I have never been on a helicopter so I was dead excited! It was amazing the views were incredible and I wanted to be a pilot! 6 of us fit in the helicopter and we all wore the headphones.

We landed on the huge block of ice which we would spent 2 hours exploring. It was huge and choppy surrounded by huge rock faced mountains. You could see a group waiting and they looked so miniature against the ice surface. We got off the helicopter and our guide Sian showed us how to put on the crampons which we attached to the bottom of our boots to prevent us from slipping on the ice and snow.

The hike was excellent and not as difficult as I imagined. There were lots of breaks and Bridget managed even in her hangover state. Only throwing up once. I took millions of photos for dad and to show Neil. We went through narrow parts and holes. Rachael fell once and I slipped onto my bum at the end when the crampons came off. But we all got back safely and onto the helicopter. So much fun and well worth the cost.

We got back and Neil met us at the shop and we randomly ran into Rachael Tickell who we met on one of the Fiji islands. Arranged to meet up in Wonaka tomorrow.

After having tuna and cheese on toast we went to the hot pools. There were 3 pools 36 degrees, 38 and 40. We dipped in each of them and felt totally relaxed afterwards. Showered and clean we chilled back at the hostel.