On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Paul in St. Augustine
Known as the Southern Alps, Mount Cook is the tallest peak in the chain, and the Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier can be found there. Mt. Cook rises to about 12,000 feet in elevation, and the peak is only 5 miles from where New Zealand rises out of the ocean. Guided tours are available only on the Franz Josef Glacier.
From the car park, you first walk through a small tropical rain forest before entering the valley.
Looking back to the valley, you can see how the glacier is shrinking from climate change.
Rob, the tour guide, helping a hiker squeeze through a narrow passage. The guides here all hike the glacier twice each day. Their first hike is to carve out that day’s path, as this glacier changes daily.
Up the trail.
The water in this pond was not only potable, it was tasty, too.
Straddling a crevasse.
The hole in the ice over my right shoulder was the entrance to an ice cave. The last picture here is inside the cave, shooting out.
Pictures do no justice to the beauty of this country.
Ruckus
The glacier is stunning. Thank you for sharing.
I didn’t hike like Paul did but I’ve landed on the top of an NZ glacier in a helicopter in 2003, and stood at the base and watched it calve off. I believe it was Franz Josef glacier. Paul’s pictures look even more stunning.
Benw
What a cool place and great pics
Elma
We were in New Zealand in October, the beginning of summer. There was a great view of Mt. Cook when we got to the Aoraki National Park, but by afternoon, it was snowing on us.
WaterGirl
Wonderful photos!
Holy cow, I am officially adding “glacier tour guide” to my list of holy shit I could never do that for a living. It join the inaugural member: long haul semi driver in mountainous areas.
Dagaetch
Exactly how I felt after being there for a month. It’s impossible for a still photograph to capture how utterly serene and peaceful, yet alive, the countryside is. I loved every second and still wonder how I could arrange things to live there.
Great shots!
MelissaM
That last shot! Whoa!
dnfree
These pictures are stunning! Our tour hiked to the glacier, but not on it.
The beauty comes at the cost of earthquakes, though, some of them devastating. Did you feel any while you were there? We experienced a small one while in our hotel room.
Ruckus
@Dagaetch:
It ain’t easy to move there. First you have to be able to work and not turn, last time I checked, 55 for a full year when you arrive. It helps (like is very important) that you are in a career that they need workers in. Or you can be wealthy and buy your way in. And even if you aren’t wealthy, it’s not cheap to get in. BTW I was 54 when I looked into going, which meant I wasn’t getting in, because I didn’t have a spare 2 or 3 million. But yes it is a beautiful place and living there would have been amazing. Oh well, always a day (or 300) and a few million short.
Ruckus
@dnfree:
I live in CA and we have earthquakes. Some of them just a bit nasty. The last major one took a decent shot at killing me. Obviously didn’t manage that, but did destroy my business. My friend that lived a mile away, he and his wife lost their home to it and the resulting fire was just the finishing touch. Six homes in a row, destroyed and the rubble burned to a crisp.
But what fun would life be if there weren’t a few challenges along the way????
JoyousMN
Thanks for sharing your pics!
I was lucky enough to spend 3 weeks in New Zealand in April 2016. I’ve never seen a more beautiful place. All I had to do was point my camera and I got amazing pictures. I spent a lot of time travelling by train, Auckland to Wellington, across the Interisland ferry, then along the coast to Christchurch and from Christchurch to Greymouth across the southern alps. It was all stunning, but that particular part was simple magnificent.
One of my life goals is to get back and to spend time in the southern half of the South Island as I only made it as far as Christchurch.
If anyone would like more photos, this is my Best of public album. Be aware, many many Hobbiton photos LOL https://flic.kr/s/aHskywcRxM
TEL
@JoyousMN: Great pictures! I didn’t realize they preserved so much of the Hobbiton set.
StringOnAStick
Love the photos, especially the last one!