NZ Trip Day 6,7 & 8 - Ice climbing Fox Glacier, and the way to Queenstown

Day 6 was just a waste. It's the day I travel from Franz Josef to Fox Glacier. I arrived the destination at 8:20 in the morning, staying in Ivory Tower, and got nothing to do for the whole day. Well... I could save 1 day for other place... anyway... Ah...Be reminded that Ivory Tower don't have lock in their dorm room..

From Fox Glacier Township

Day 7, finally arrived the day for Ice-Climbing. 8am I arrived the Fox Glacier Guiding building, together with other 3 teammates we entered the "preparation room". We gathered and test our gear such as boot, crampons, backpack, helmet, rope, ice-axe, and socks, then we jumped on to the bus and start our 1 day ice climbing adventure.

The bus stopped at the car park, which is 10 min walk away from the glacier. When I first saw the glacier, well, pretty dirty coz the glacier removed lot of rock and mud from the mountain and the ice is actually gray in color. But it's HUGH!

We didn't climb the glacier from the terminal face because the front of the glacier is very unstable, it could collapse anytime. We need to walk from the mountain to may be 2-3 km from the front before the ice get stable. Although I didn't have much sport the last year but the hike was still OK for me. After we arrived, we equipped out gear and start walking on to the glacier.

The feeling was so good. If you are wearing normal shoes you could never walk on it coz it's really slippy. But with the ice boot and the crampons, my leg were just nailed on the ice, ha~ nice~! We found a good spot for climbing after one hour. Our professional guide Matthew setup everything for us and we started climbing.

I was the less experience guy along all the team mate, but I was the one who climb first. Well, OK~ Matthew asked me," Alan, are you ready?". I looked at the ice wall and I said," Give me 5 more seconds." haha.... After 5 seconds, I said, "Here we go!!........and Don't look down!!"

With the guidance of Matthew, the first climb was just great! I done it in like 5 min. When I arrived the top and look downward, I was just thinking, oh... did I really climbed that? Yes I did! Cool!! hoho~

The first wall we climb was quite easy because it's a not really 90 degree vertical, but the second was. It's completely straight when you look from the bottom. Well I still did it~ Wuhooo!!! But the second time I climbed my arm were so tired, I lost feeling of my arm! Lucky I my team mate hold me for a while and gave a a chance to reload, then, I was on the top again~! :)

After the second climb we began our way home. Matthew didn't choose the way as we start, he chose some more difficult and direct way to get back. Well, it's now pretty easy for us.

I was so tired after I returned to my hostel, I could barely walk. After a hot shower, got to stay on bed and sleep early. But the whole trip was just awesome! unforgettable! I'll try again if I have chance~ May be I'll do rock-climbing when I returned to Hong Kong~ hoho~

From Ice climbing @ Fox Glacier

Day 8, Fox Glacier to Queenstown. I spent most of the time on traveling coz the distance between is pretty far away. Took some photos in the "Mirror Lake", saw someone play Bungy Jump, well I didn't play because for Bungy jump, $160 for a 3 second free fall, and for skydive, $300 for a 45 seconds freefall, I would prefer a skydiving, which has planned on Monday~ :p

From Fox Glacier to Queenstown

Got to sleep, going to Doubtful Sound tomorrow, start at 7am again~
Enjoy the photos and have a good day!





OiOi: If I didn't put my SD card into my camera, I could take one photo only untill I copy it to my computer XD

c: 唯有啦~~要留都留唔住ge...

Andrew: It's because u told me I'm wrong. :)