Zelma’s Trip

I got up and met the English girl, who was also going on the heli-hike, in the reception of my hostel.  We headed down to the centre in the town where we paid and were given a disclaimer and brief information.  Then we headed down to the briefing centre where we were given our gear.  This was basically a big coat, (apparently glaciers can be cold, being made of ice and all) gloves and a hat if you wanted one.  They also had oversize boots which we had to wear to attach our crampons to once we got on the glacier.  When I say oversize boots these things were basically like clown shoes and they made me walk like one too!  As we were told various things, such as how those in the front of the helicopter had to be careful not to touch any of the controls, I got even more excited and also slightly anxious.  I also wondered if I would be able to resist pushing buttons or whether I would end up pushing one in a kind of Dougal from "Father Ted" style.  We were put into groups and I was one of the last to leave.  We watched the other helicopters landing and then taking off and it all became more real.  I’d never been in a helicopter and tried to imagine what it would be like as they buzzed off up into the air.

Once in the helicopter we were strapped in, put our headsets on and the door was locked shut.  I have to admit that at this stage I was bricking it slightly but was also excited.  When the helicopter took off I was really surprised how smooth it was.  For some reason I had it in my head that it would be really juddery but it was far from it.  The thing almost felt like it was floating, apart from the noise of course, and as we got higher up any concerns quickly faded into excitement and awe at the amazing scenery below.  After a short time we were above the base of the glacier and then the helicopter veered to the right to show us a waterfall which seemed crazily close.

We landed on the glacier itself at the highest possible part which was flat and got out.  When we were safely on the ice we were given crampons to fit to our shoes.  The group was split into two and our guide built our confidence up in the crampons by getting us to walk up and down a slope with a gradient which felt like it wouldn’t be humanly possible.  The crampons were amazing though and it was a good test to show us what we could do in them.  We set off across the glacier with the guide using an ice-pick to make steps in impassible places.  The glacier was truly amazing.  I couldn’t help thinking back to Geography lessons when we were told about the blue ice and never really believing that it was truly blue……but it -really- was.  It was so beautiful and so vast.  After a little while we got to an ice tunnel and took it in turns to slide in, slide around, take pictures and get very wet in the melting ice.  The hike carried on and we traipsed a fair way over the glacier with a couple of ice caves on the way.  We were at the top for around two hours but it absolutely flew by.  For the most part the weather was great and it wasn’t really cold, or maybe that was the jackets!

When we got back to the helicopter pad, well flat bit of ice, we waited to be picked up.  The pilot took us further up the glacier and you could see down huge crevasses in the cracking ice.  As we headed to the top I was in awe of the thing itself and the tremendous view.  We headed back down the glacier and I decided that I wanted to be a helicopter pilot, then swore that I had to at least go in more helicopters or at very least wear funky head phones which made me look like a pilot.

When we got back to the town I was disappointed that the whole thing had ended but -so- pleased to have done it.  We headed back to the hostel where we met Lance and went and got a much needed pub lunch.  I say much needed as, somewhat like swimming, apparently hiking on glaciers makes you -very- hungry.

After lunch Lance and I headed South towards Wanaka.  We stopped at Fox Glacier briefly and I took a few photos.  It wasn’t quite as spectacular as the aerial view I had had of Franz glacier but was brilliant nonetheless.  As we carried on through amazing scenery a strange building caught our eye on the right.  We pulled up to discover that it was a woolshed and also that people had hung hundreds and hundreds of toothbrushes on the fence outside.  I’d heard of such things with boots and the like but toothbrushes were a novel twist on the whole thing and boy did they make interesting photos.

After a rather lovely drive we arrived in Wanaka and checked into a dorm at Wanaka backpackers’.  Also in the dorm were a rather sweet, if brave and adrenalin like (the girl had done -everything- white knuckle you can imagine) Asian couple.  In the evening we headed into town for a few drinks at "Bullock bar" initially, then a couple at another bar, prior to heading to a rather low key party which we left relatively soon after arriving.