![]() The gods froze these tears in a river of ice and the Franz Josef glacier was formed as a reminder of her grief. Hinehukatere was broken hearted and her many, many tears flowed down the mountain. The Fox Glacier was his final resting place, or moeka. Disaster struck when an avalanche swept Wawe from the peaks to his death. She persuaded her lover, Wawe to climb with her even though he was less experienced. The legend of the Makawhio people (a sub tribe of the Nga Tahu) says that Hinehukatere was a fearless young woman who loved climbing in the mountains. The Māori name for the Franz Josef Glacier is Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere (‘The tears of Hinehukatere‘). This results in the dramatic advances and retreats of the terminal face of the two glaciers. The forces generated by the moving tongue of ice grinds away at everything in its path to reach the terminal face at the front of the glacier.Ī glacier likes to find equilibrium, where the amount of ice produced in the neve is equal to the amount of ice lost to melting in its tongue. ![]() The valleys are so steep and narrow that the tongues of ice have pushed far down into rainforest and not much above sea level. Gravity then squeezes it down the valley as if it were toothpaste and the once fluffy snowflakes are compressed into hard blue ice. Warm, moist air travelling from Australia drops snow in the higher elevations of the Southern Alps, piling it up to form large neves or snowfields. Take a look at all of the New Zealand tours Distant Journeys have on offer here.The land where the glaciers are located is sandwiched between the sea and the highest mountains in New Zealand. ![]() Once you’ve seen the glacier, there is no need to rush off to your next stop as there are plenty of other things to do in Franz Josef such as relaxing in the glacier hot pools at the end of an action-packed day. Feasting your eyes upon this vast glacier and the surrounding scenery is a sight you will not be able to experience elsewhere. It’s easy to see from these fascinating facts about Franz Josef Glacier why it is such a popular spot for visitors in New Zealand. If you’d prefer a birds-eye view then you can always take a helicopter tour of the glacier and maybe get a glimpse of the nearby and equally impressive Fox Glacier. Sitting at a low altitude this impressive sight can be explored easily by foot with a walk or a hike. Luckily for visitors, this glacier region in New Zealand is one of the most accessible on earth.The small town situated just 5 kilometres from the glacier bears the same name and is the ideal stopping spot for a visit to the Westland Tai Poutini National Park and the glacier itself. German explorer and geologist Julius von Haast named the glacier after Franz Joseph I, the Austrian emperor back in 1865.This is a stark difference from the average glacier moving at around 50cm to 1 metre per day! One impressive Franz Josef glacier fact is that this glacier has been recorded as moving up to 4 metres per day. The steep form of the glacier creates the perfect conditions for ice flow. Franz Josef is the steepest and fastest moving glacier in New Zealand.This national park also happens to one of the four national parks which when combined create Te Wahipounamu, a World Heritage Site which gained its status back in 1990 due to its significant biodiversity. The glacier is situated in the Westland Tai Poutini National Park located on the western coast of the South Island of New Zealand.The ecosystem around the glacier is extremely unique due to the combination of the ice meeting the Waiho River and the surrounding rainforest. Where the ice descends and meets the river valley below it reaches to less than 300 metres above sea level. The Franz Josef Glacier is approximately 7000 years old and is a massive 12 kilometres long.Hine Hukatere was so heartbroken that she began to cry, and eventually the tears which fell then froze to form the glacier that stands today. During this climb, Wawe was swept away by an avalanche, never to be seen again. The Maori legend of the Franz Josef glacier formation says that Hine Hukatere loved to climb mountains, and convinced her love Wawe to join her on one of her climbs.The Maori name for the glacier is “Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere”, which means “the tears of Hine Hukatere”.Take a look below at our fascinating facts about the glacier and we can guarantee you’ll want to take a tour visiting the Franz Josef glacier on you next trip to the South Island, New Zealand. New Zealand is known across the globe for its magnificent scenery and dramatic landscape and the glaciers of New Zealand are a prime example. Situated in the spectacular Southern Alps, The Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand is a breath-taking site of natural beauty.
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