Exploring Franz Josef Glacier by Land, Air and Sea – Part III

ATTENTION: Before posting this article, I learned that my kayaking guide Tyler whom I write about was very recently in a terrible car accident back in New Zealand and is in hospital. Please say a prayer for Tyler and his family.

This is Part III to my three-part series on how to explore Franz Josef Glacier. You can read Part I and Part II here. 

 

When travelers talk about Franz Josef, they have only one thing on their minds: getting up close and personal with the glacier. Naturally, travelers are all about getting high in a helicopter flight and getting their hands dirty by climbing the glaciers, which is understandable. This is one of only three glaciers in the world that runs into a temperate rainforest, and scientists predict that it will be gone by 2050.

Yet there is so many more ways to discover the wonders of the snowy alps and the fairytale scenery Franz Josef whisks up. Very rarely do you hear anyone suggest kayaking in Franz Josef, so let me be the first to say that it should definitely be one of the ways to explore all the beauty that this unique West Coast town has to offer.

When I first heard about kayaking in Franz Josef, I made sure my name was on the list for an early morning paddle. I am not necessarily a die-hard outdoorsman (re: outdoorswoman), but I do love being out on the water, be it an ocean or a lake.

I had recently taken a kayaking trip through Abel Tasman National Park and loved that kayaking was a new way to explore the world. Additionally, this trip in Franz Josef seemed like a good opportunity to do something different in a town that was stuck on glacier climbs.

I meandered my way to the Glacier Country Kayak office where I met my guide, Tyler – a kid from the states who was born to live in New Zealand. He had a great energy about him, and the rhythm of his words and tone of his voice had a seasoned melody to it that only the outdoors can bring.

I had signed up for three-hour classic, guided eco-tour, and there were six others on board with me who came from a mix of places: Spain, Scotland, Holland and Latvia.

This time around, there were a couple of things different about my kayaking trip.

Firstly, I was in a single person kayak, which meant that I had not only to paddle but also to steer. In the front of my kayak were two foot pedals to control the rudders in the back.

Secondly, I was kayaking on a lake that was as flat as glass instead of bouncing around through the choppy ocean waves.

Tyler drove us down to Lake Mapourika, which is maybe a 15 minute drive outside of Franz Josef town, and we arrived just at the right time. A small, long pier ran out in front of us.

The clouds and mist hung low and stretched out just above the lake, rising up and moving by slowly.

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“Looks like it is going to be an awesome day out there,” Tyler said.

We readied up our kayaks and had a good debriefing before setting off.

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Within a few minutes I felt like kayaking could be considered yoga on a lake. The morning was gentle and calm, and it felt like Mother Nature was just coming out of a deep slumber. All was quiet except for the sounds of our paddles slicing through the water and the singsong of birds dancing around us.

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Lake Mapourika is a kettle lake that was essentially formed 12,000 years ago when a large block of ice broke off from the front of a retreating Franz Josef Glacier.

What used to be filled by water flowing in from glacial melts, the lake is now formed by fresh rainwater that runs off from the surrounding forest floor. Though still clear, the lake’s dark color comes from acids picked up from plants in the forests.

We had an incredible view of New Zealand’s Southern Alps crowning the Jurassic-era woodlands surrounding us. Because the winds blow so high above the alps, the lake is left to be as still as ever and acts like a mirror.

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The view soon disappeared as we steered our way around to Echo Bay. Naturally, we spent a few minutes calling out into the open only to hear it reflect back to us as if were coming from a group of people on the other end of the world.

Our kayaking trip soon became one that was battled out amongst the swamp and Jurassic-like jungle that surrounded us, bringing everyone on our tour good laughs as we tried our best to navigate down the narrowest of inlets.

Along the way Tyler told us some Maori legends, my favourite of which being the story of how the kiwi bird lost its wings and became the national bird of New Zealand. Legend has it that when the god of the forest called on the various birds to take to the dark forest floor to protect the forest, the kiwi was the only bird brave enough to volunteer for the job.

As such, the kiwi lost its wings and was sentenced to a life roaming the forests, but the god made sure the kiwi was the most loved and well-known bird of all in New Zealand.

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Though we did not see any kiwis, partly because they are endangered but mostly because they are nocturnal, Lake Mapourika and its forests is the last remaining habitat to the rowi, the rarest of the kiwi birds.

After telling us the legend of the kiwi bird, Tyler handed us out this edible leaf that tasted like cinnamon mixed with curry gone bad and left our lips and tongue a little numb. Needless to say, we all spit it out in disgust.

From there, we paddled on back to the dock where started our journey from, once again unsuccessfully navigating ourselves through the narrow little inlets and getting stuck here, there and everywhere.

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This time, though, when we came around the bend from Echo Bay, the view of the alps reflected onto the lake was incomprehensible. As the sun grew stronger, the reflections became more vivd and sharp, whether it was the reflection of my group members and their canoes or the mountain ranges quietly dominating the sky.

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The kayaking tour of Lake Mapourika was nothing like that of Abel Tasman. With this tour, we finished where we started and had a gentle and peaceful morning out on the lake. It is the only kayaking office in town, and though the cost of the trip seems quite steep given the morning’s itinerary, the activity offers a different, more towering view of the beauty that makes this area such a precious gem.

What I loved most about it was what I said earlier on: Kayaking on the lake in the early morning felt like a form of yoga. There is nothing but the stillness of the air, the glass-like waters, the low hums and chirps of the morning as it starts to wake up from its slumber and the horizon wrapping around you like a warm blanket.

There are ways to feel mentally centered while feeling physically at the center of things, and my early morning kayak achieved that balance beautifully.

Category: New Zealand

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