Glaciers like Fox respond rapidly to small climate perturbations and undergo short-lived advance and retreat cycles. Her research shows the Fox Glacier has already retreated by about 880 meters – more than half a mile – since 2009 when the most recent retreat phase began. Purdie, the researcher, said in an email that the situation is unlikely to improve. In addition, the changes make running a guiding company more expensive, less productive, and more logistically challenging. “Being helicopter-dependent increases cost, adds layers of risk, and makes more weather dependent,” Richards says. Now he relies on helicopters to deliver clients to the ice above. This practice had been done by guiding operations without climate-related interruption for well over 100 years until 2014. After several years of rapid retreat by the glaciers, he felt he could no longer safely lead clients from the valley onto the glaciers. However, the biggest change to Richards’ guiding operations came in 2014. Not only is Richards losing ice to climate change, increased rockfall risks make the ice that remains more dangerous for clients and guides alike. “The lower height of the ice has also meant we don’t have the natural catching features on the glacial margins, so rocks are making it further out onto the glacier.” To keep guides and clients out of ever-increasing rock fall zones, Richards has to constantly reduce the size of his guiding territory. “Some areas that have been traditionally stable, have now become active,” he continues. This means we are seeing more rockfalls and bigger events.” He explained in an email that “As the glacier is lowering in height and pulling back from the valley walls, there is less support at the base of the mountain sides. For Richards and fellow guides, the major concern is for safety. As glaciers retreat, they often get thinner and lower in height as they lose ice mass. Richards says the glacial retreat has made his job much more dangerous, adding more elements of risk to every journey for his clients and for him. Relying on rockfalls and helicopters for access Sign up for our weekly email newsletter and never miss a story. The climate is changing, and our journalists are here to help you make sense of it. However Richards and his fellow guides will have to contend with more than just a loss of ice as their country’s glaciers dwindle. This is having profound effects on Richards’ livelihood. Researchers like Heather Purdie and her colleagues at New Zealand’s University of Canterbury have determined that the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers are smaller and retreating more rapidly now than at any other time in their history. Throughout his career he has personally witnessed the surprising speed at which these glaciers are disappearing. Richards has spent the past 15 years helping tourists from around the world experience the Fox Glacier, one of New Zealand’s largest and fastest-retreating glaciers. This is bad news for glacier guides like Macomb Richards. Low-elevation glaciers like the Fox and Franz are retreating quickly across New Zealand. However, climate change may be altering that. Despite the country’s temperate latitude, large glaciers like the Fox and Franz Josef sweep down from the mountains to the coastal rainforest below. From the glacier car park it’s a 45 minute walk to the public glacier viewing point.Ĭheck out the Daily Glacier Access Update before your visit.New Zealand’s Southern Alps are crowned by some of the most accessible glaciers on Earth. There are a range of attractions such as scenic flights, guided glacier hikes, a cycleway, forest hikes of varying length, guided walks, kayaking, and action adventures like quad biking or skydiving to name a few.įranz Josef Glacier village is on State Highway 6 and is 135km 1 hour and 43 minutes by car from Hokitika, 285km 3 hours and 35 minutes by car from Wanaka and 25 minutes by car from Fox Glacier village.įranz Josef Glacier is just five kilometres from the village. This provides a very rare opportunity to see or walk on a dynamic glacier within easy driving and walking distance from the main highway. The main attraction – Franz Josef Glacier/ Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere, descends from the tops of the Southern Alps into rainforest close to sea level. The village has an excellent variety of accommodation, restaurants, activities and general services. The small but lively Franz Josef Glacier village is only a few kilometres from the Glacier itself, and is situated at the base of the spectacular World Heritage Area.
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