Glassy-ers (this is how Kiwi's pronounce "glaciers")

But first… gold!

On the way to the glaciers, we were passing through Ross, where NZ’s largest gold nugget was found. “Hit the brakes!” We couldn’t resist the opportunity to strike it rich. Having just read “By the Great Horn Spoon,” the girls had gold-diggings fresh on their minds. The girls tried their hands at panning, which took more patience than expected, but did yield a few sparkly gold flakes. The flaked didn’t look like much until placed safely inside our souvenir bottle, when you could hear our hard-earned fortune rattle away. Shhh! Don’t tell the bandits… 

 

Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers

The hike to the glacier was as beautiful as the terminal face itself. 

For about 45 minutes we ambled along a gravel trail through rainforest and riverbed, passing by waterfalls and stone-hopping across creeks.

Although we were certainly not the only ones hiking, the vastness of the glacial valley made it feel that way. The rushing water of the river and waterfalls drowned out even two excited girls’ voices. The day was made even more perfect by the strong sun and brilliant blue sky.
At the end of the route we were as close as permissible to Franz Josef glacier via land, with a stunning view of the blue glacial ice.

Juxtaposition of rainforest meets glacier