I am starting to sense a trend here…
Today we were up at 6:00am to hop on a helicopter for a breath taking scenic flight over the fox glacier to do some heli hiking with Fox Glacier Guiding.
Vlog 8: Contiki NZ Grand Explorer, Fox Glacier – Queenstown, New Zealand
httpvh://youtu.be/khHwIX7SasY
Now this was the second time I got to hike on a glacier. The first time was actually last time I was in New Zealand, but instead of hiking I was ice climbing the Franz Josef Glacier.
The major difference between the two options were:
- A helicopter ride. This was my first experience in a helicopter and I seriously cannot recommend it more! Flying above the glacier is just out of this world.
- Because you are flown up on a helicopter you are at a higher part of the glacier and therefore you are able to see more of the spectacular dark blue ice caves. Formed because the ice is so dense it absorbs the orange light wave lengths and scatters the blue light wave lengths, giving it those rich colours.
- Ice Climbing is climbing. It is hard work and not for everyone. While I find climbing rather enjoyable, you do spend less time taking photos and exploring the glacier with the ice climbing option.
Queenstown
After our ice-adventures on the Fox Glacier were complete, we jumped back into the bus and made our way into Queenstown. Where we then hoped onto a gondola to take us up to the Skyline Restaurant for a 6 course buffet complete with every type of kiwi foods you could imagine. YUM!
Ah, time to fill our bellies and enjoy the views of Queenstown.
