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Fox Glacier
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Fed by four alpine
glaciers, Fox Glacier falls 2600 metres on its 13 kilometre journey
towards the coast. Named after an early New Zealand Prime Minister,
William Fox, the glacier is 300 metres deep and its terminal face is just
5 kilometres from the township. The road to the glacier crosses ancient
moraine from earlier advances and retreats.
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The
Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers cut through dramatic glacial valleys to flow
into temperate rainforest. While many glaciers world-wide have been
retreating, these glaciers still flow almost to sea level, making them
unique relics of the last Ice Age.
South-Westland
lies in the path of a band of wind known as the 'roaring forties'. The
weather that flows on to the West Coast is forced to rise over the
Southern Alps, thereby cooling and dropping most of its moisture as rain
and snow. This process causes approximately 30 metres of snow to fall on
the neve, or catchment area of the glacier every year. Snow that is
compacted on the neve forms blue glacier ice that is funnelled down the
valleys of the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. This flows under its own
momentum, forming these 'rivers of ice' which are easily accessible from
the Waiho (Franz Josef) and Cook (Fox) river beds.
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Although
much melt occurs from the surface of the glaciers at lower elevations (the
ablation zone), this high snowfall continues to push ice down the valleys
at very high rates. This is aided by basal sliding, caused by a layer of
water beneath the glaciers, formed by the weight of the ice pushing
against the valley floor. Both of these factors cause the Franz Josef and
Fox Glaciers to have flow rates that are up to 10 times faster than most
valley glaciers.
The
glaciers flow over large bedrock steps on the valley floors. This causes
the ice to extend and break up, forming steep icefalls that are mazes of
crevasses and pinnacles of ice. Spectacular views of this dramatic
landscape are gained from short valley walks to the Franz Josef and Fox
Glacier terminal faces, or by taking a guided walk on to the ice. Either
option will provide any visitor with a unique glacier experience
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Facts
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Fox is the largest of the mighty West Coast glaciers.
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It
is unique in that it ends in temperate rainforest, 250 metres above
sea level.
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There
are more 3,000 metres (10,000 foot) peaks at the head of the Fox
Glacier than in any other valley in New Zealand.
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The
Fox Glacier, like all glaciers, advances and retreats. The last
advance continued from 1986-1999.
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Access
onto the lower parts of the glacier is via a secret track that climbs
through regenerating forest (forest previously wiped out by earlier
glacial advances). From the track, you have wonderful views into the
upper parts of the glacier.
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The
high peaks, snowfields and
glaciers of Te Waipounamu (the South Island) are of great significance
to Maori who named the glacier Te Moeka o Tuawe. This name derived
from a tupuna (ancestor) Tu Awe who fell to his death while exploring
the area. The bed of Te Moeka o Tuawe became his moeka (final resting
place). It is said that when his lover Hine Hukatere wept, the bed of
the glaciers filled with her everlasting tears of ice.
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