Franz Josef Glacier

Today was pretty epic! We signed up to do the 'Ice Explorer' (a heli ride and hike on the glacier). Luckily, we woke up to clear skies, as only 1 in 5 trips can go up due to bad weather! I have never been in a helicopter before so I was a bit apprehensive- but it was an incredible experience! I had to sit in the front, next to the pilot; I saw amazing bird's-eye views of the rainforest, river and the glaciers. We then had a 3 hour hike on top of Franz Josef glacier- slowly making our way through a maze of ice- squeezing through ice crevices and climbing/slipping down the glacier. Our guide explained to us about dramatic environmental changes and the devastating effect it has on the glaciers. When we arrived back down, with our feet safely on the ground, we headed straight to the hot pools- 'twas very satisfying after the chilly glaciers.