Happy Easter! We began the day early at 8am heading over to the shop to get equipped. They told us to pack our own lunch but they gave us hats, mittens, wool socks, boots, pants and rain coats. Once we got off the bus and saw the glacier for the first time it was for real. I remember looking at photos on-line but seeing it first hand was so much better. It took about 10 minutes to walk along the riverbed in order to take our first steps on the glacier. It was covered with rocks at first but the glacier was underneath, insolated. The glacier was huge and absolutely breathtaking. It rained most of the time which we though would put a downer on the day but in reality it was the best glacier hiking weather. As our guide - Cliff - told us, sunny days are really boring because the sun turns the ice white and everything really never changes. With overcast and rain the glacier kept its blue veins and made for some beautiful looking carvings and crevasses. Also we were constantly surrounded by mountains with waterfalls and the occasional rock slide. In case your wondering how we walked on the ice and kept our footing, we tied crampons to our boots - basically metal spikes - allowing us to walk right behind our guide enjoying the scenery. This was one experience I had been waiting for since I arrived in NZ and it exceeded all expectations!
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