Day 10 (Mar 15, 2013): Franz Josef Glacier, Drive to Punakaiki, “Pancake” Rocks

The Quick Facts:

* Hiked to the terminal face of Franz Josef Glacier (note we did *not* do any of the helicopter tour options which may allow for hiking on the actual glacier)
* Drove from Franz Josef Glacier to Punakaiki Beach
* Saw the “pancake rocks” in Punakaiki
* Stayed at the Punakaiki Beach Hostel, which is right on the beach and wonderfully maintained…we even got to stay in a truck that they converted into a bedroom and is separate from the main house

The Good:

* Franz Josef Glacier is extremely interesting and different (my first glacier and, as Carrie points out, rare in that it is so close to the sea and that you have to travel through a rain forest just to get to it)
* “Pancake” rocks in Punakaiki – they are limestone but, to this day, scientists do not know why they have the markings they do

The Bad:

* The sandflies are eating us alive; got a tip from a local that a 50/50 mix of baby oil and Dettol (a new Zealand household cleaner) will repel them; will investigate this tomorrow and report back

 

First off, go Hoyas!  Georgetown seemingly dispatched with Cincinnati with great ease in their first game of the Big East Tournament, looking forward to more wins in the coming days.

So today started a bit early with a hike to the terminal face of Franz Josef Glacier.  The walk to the face, and to a separate lookout point, is not far – we spent a total of maybe 2 hours there.  Franz Josef Glacier is named after the emperor of Austria-Hungary who was in power at the time an Austrian explorer discovered it in the 1860s.  You can understand why they kept the name – it just rolls off the tongue and is definitely not vaguely angry (for those who do not know me well, insert sarcastic eye roll here).  Anyway, the glacier used to extend all the way to the Tasman Sea, but has since retreated to its current point approximately 19km from the sea.  Here are some pics (that's ice on the bottom side of that bridge, and it's blue):

 

This is the actual terminal face of the glacier...

And here are pics of the glacier water run-off that presumably goes all the way to the Tasman Sea

 

And here is a pic from a separate lookout area, you can see the face pictured earlier but also how it extends up and back into the mountains (the terminal face that is shown in earlier pictures is on the left, and the glacier then extends back and to the right in this photo -- note three different “peaks” with the ice)

Then we made the ~3.5 hour drive to Punakaiki, which is home to the “Pancake Rocks” which are limestone rocks with certain groovings in them that make them look like pancakes.  Scientists still do not know why this occurred in the rocks.  We still have some mysteries left in this world.  Pretty cool.

And finally, we stayed at a hostel on the beach.  Here is our converted truck that we stayed in:

And here is our view.  Not a bad way to end a day…

 

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