The Sound of Ice

The town of Twizel was built as a temporary town for an energy project, but upon completion of the project, the people refused to leave. So it survives today as the gateway to Mt. Cook, the highest peak in New Zealand at 12,220 feet.

We woke to a beautiful sunny day, which amazes me since we planned this day months before. Mt. Cook is shrouded in clouds 1 out of every 3 days, but not today. We drove the 45 minutes from Twizel to Mt. Cook National Park and the lodge at the base of the mountain. (Also home to the Sir Edmund Hilary Alpine Center, which will remain a mystery since they charge an entrance fee. We had all our money tied up in our big excirsion with Glacier Explorers.)

The drive had fabulous views and the lodge showcased all the snow capped peaks. At the lodge we met the Glacier Explorers bus that wisked us away to a nearby trailhead. After a short 20 min hike we were ready for our boat trip on Tasman Lake, which is the terminal lake for Tasman Glacier. I packed fuzzy hats, gloves, and jackets (come on a glacier - cold right?), none of which we needed. We boarded the boat in our short sleeves and life jackets. The zodiac tooled around the lake while our guide described the different types of ice and showed us various icebergs that had calved off the glacier. It was astounding. Natalie even got to hold an iceberg piece in her hands. We then headed toward Tasman Glacier itself with a chocolate chip cookie appearance created by the rocks on ice. We could hear the sound of ice cracking and breaking away from the glacier. The sound was momentous -big, bold, deep, and rumbling as if the ice were alive. Tasman Lake is only 25 years old and our guide told us that this portion of the glacier will melt completely in 100 years rendering the remainder only accessable by helicopter. So if you'd like a Tasman Glacier Lake Tour, the clock is ticking - you have 100 years left. I highly recommend it!


Best cold smoked salmon ever, right at the salmon farm. Jeff slicing it for us. Yum.