Our next stop was to be one of my most challenging since the surgery........... a heli-hike in the Fox Glacier!!!!! As a first-timer with glaciers I was initially more excited about the prospect of going in a helicopter! After a stop off for suitable shoes and clothing we headed out to the helipad. Much to my amazement the pilot signalled for me to sit up front - yey! With my camera poised and ready we took to the sky for the most amazing flight. The views were just awesome and the helicopter so light and agile it was almost like floating. We soared up to the glacier and circled over a waterfall that had formed to one side from the melting ice. Again, simply amazing. Unfortunately the whole flight was probably around 7 mins long, so we were soon out and on the ice. Here we were given "cramp-ons" to attach to our boots for digging into the ice as we walked, and a tramping pole. With that we headed off, literally over a sea of ice. Although not sure in hindsight what I was expecting, I am sure that this was not it! For one I've never seen so much ice and due to the extreme weather conditions on the south island the surface is constantly changing shape, so it peaks and troughs like icing on a cake - only much steeper! And then there are the ice caves and shapes formed from the melting ice. I can see where Ice Age got it's inspiration from now! We hiked around the glacier for around 3.5hrs and by the time we got to the end I was absolutely exhausted! All the stamping and climbing had definitely taken it's toll, but what an amazing day. And of course there was still one last treat - the ride back down! Amazingly I bagged a front seat again, this time with Richard. Being small had for once worked to my advantage as the others were too big to fit in the front!
We rounded off our stay in Fox with a trip to the famous Lake Matheson. This was formed at the end of the last ice age and has one of the most panoramic views of Mount Cook and Tasman. It's around an hours walk in total and the lake gives a perfect reflection of the mountains on a good day, which it was! A relaxing coffee at the nearby cafe, soaking up some afternoon rays and the scenery of course, before hitting the road for Franz!