Capturing New Zealand: Soaring Over Peaks and Glaciers

Mt. Cook from the Franz Josef Glacier

I have experienced hiking on glaciers and flying to exotic locations in a helicopter. This is the first time Linda, my wife of 44 years, and I do a combination helicopter ride and glacier walk.

The first-ever trip occurs over the significant mountains of Mt. Cook and onto the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers in New Zealand.

The one-hour trip starts in the town of Franz Jospeph. It is on the western coast of New Zealand’s South Island. As we move south in the helicopter, the landscape shifts from beach to alpine coastal areas featuring rugged coastlines.

As the helicopter banks to the left and gains elevation, rivers, ridge-lines, and peaks emerge from afar, advance into full view, and then surge larger-than-life right below you. A helicopter trip can create both mental and physical thrills.

Franz Josef Glacier

Without incident, the helicopter lands on the Franz Josef Glacier. Every aspect of the view is worth remembering. The lofty peaks of Mt. Cook and Mt. Reynolds show ripples from recent snowfall. Ahead, the glacier is flat for about a mile.

Mt. Reynolds from the Franz Josef Glacier

Mt. Cook’s summit is under 20 miles from the ocean shore. The short distance and elevation change is a rarity.

Scale from a helicopter presents difficulties for assessment. Franz Josef Glacier looks huge. Its 8-mile length and 3,000-foot depth is the reason. Minuscule dots visible beneath us on the glacier are people and a second helicopter.

Time seems to stand still. Linda and I decide we have experienced everything we had hoped and head back down to the Helicopter base at Franz Josef. This brief, hour-long experience offers a story for a lifetime.