Franz Josef Glacier: New Zealand fastest moving glacier.

The Franz Josef Glacier is easily the steepest and fastest moving of all the accessible temperate glaciers in New Zealand.

While many glaciers world-wide have been retreating, the Franz Josef Glacier still flows almost to sea level, through a temperate rainforest of ancient podocarp trees and other evergreen species.

Found nowhere else in the world this combination of ice and temperate rainforest ecosystem is a unique feature of New Zealand's glacier country.

Running through the glacier Franz Josef is the Alpine Fault, the Southern Alps have been pushed up, and continue to rise in close proximity to the ocean. The weather that flows over the West Coast cools and rains and snowsas it is forced to rise over the Southern Alps. This cyclic flow creates up to 900 ft of snow to fall on the neve (or catchment area of the glacier), every year.

Compacted snow on the neve forms blue glacier ice that is funnelled down the Waiho Valley. Flowing under its own momentum, forming a 'river of ice', the terminal face of the glacier is continually melting, this is replaced by glacier ice flowing down from the neve. Aided by basal sliding, caused by a layer of water beneath the glacier which is formed by the weight of the ice pushing against the valley floor replacing the ice lost due to melting.

The Franz Josef glacier slides forward 10 times faster than most valley glaciers, presenting the visitor with a spectacular and unique icefall of crevasses, pinnacles, ice caves and canyons.

After experiencing all the thrills and wonder of this natural sculpture of ice relax in style when the day is done in on of the areas many lodging facilities.