This afternoon, I am going with Alpine Guides to see the terminal face of the Fox glacier and hike on it too.

This a half day hike starts from the parking. Before seeing the glacier itself, we marvel at a giant wall carved by the glacier 15000 to 20000 years ago during the previous ice age when the glacier was reaching the Tasman Sea. This cliff is an impressive 1000 meters high vertical wall.

After 5 minute walk, we then start to see the glacier and after 40 minutes of easy walk alond the river.

We approach the terminal face and even get a bit closer to where to river is going out of the glacier with our guide: there is a huge cave and many ice blocs.

The terminal face is very steep because the glacier is advancing again since a few months. Distances are difficult to estimate and at first the glacier doesn't seem that big or that far but when you get closer, you realize that the icefalls and crevices of the terminal face are tens of meters high.

It's now time to get on the glacier itself. We start to climb the left side of the terminal face via carved steps.

On a flat area, we then put our crampons and take our sticks. Our guide shapes and cuts steps as we advance on the glacier. The scenery is beautiful and we are having some good fun.

It's a good thing to see this part of the glacier after doing the heli-hike: I have now a better understanding of the glacier evolution. By the way, the plant that I hold in my hand is poisonous and the early settlers discovered that when one of them imported an elephant for a circus: they gave him this plant to eat and the elephant became sick.

Back to the parking area, we can see the famous Kea: it's the only alpine parrot in the world.