Franz Joseph - Heli Hike

A special thanks to Mary for these pictures. The first picture is a view of the Franz Joseph Glacier from the helicoptor. The second is the group of us just before the heli-hike in Franz Joseph.

The third photo is me disembarking at on the Glacier and the fourth is myself and Paul on the ride up.










Alright, welcome to the town of Franz Joseph. It is named for the large glacier in the mountains above the town. The Glacier also provides the draw for the tourism here. And as it is New Zealand, anything seems to go, and you can substitute a helicoptor ride instead of walking all the way up. Now, I am a big fan of hiking up, but as I had never been in a helicoptor, this was too good of an opportunity to pass up (especially since the other 3 were already going).

And as cool as the hike was, with the Ice formations, glacier pools, and blue ice, the helicoptor ride was awesome. Our pilot gave us some great scenic views of the are and the glacier, and then we got a roller coaster ride of what the helicoptors can really do. It was great fun. It was a great afternoon on the Glacier and in the helicoptor.