 Mom booked an 8 am flight with Glacier Helicopters |
 ...the highlight of the trip...a flight around Mt Cook |
 ZK-HJQ |
 Fox River flowing towards the Tasman Sea |
 Green fields along the Fox River |
 Lake Matheson |
 Lake Matheson famous for reflections of Mt Cook |
 Lake Mueller enroute to Franz Josef |
 Flying north over the Waikukupa River |
 Waikukupa River |
 The terminal moraine of Franz Josef glacier |
 Gaining altitude for the climb up Franz Josef |
 Franz Josef Glacier |
 Flying up the face of Franz Josef Glacier |
 Waterfall, Franz Josef |
 South side of Franz Josef |
 Looking down Franz Josef Glacier |
 Still much higher to climb |
 Blueish glacial ice of Franz Josef Glacier |
 Friz Range, Mount Halcombe, Franz Josef Glacier |
 Franz Josef Glacier |
 Franz Josef Glacier |
 Franz Josef Glacier |
 Franz Josef Glacier |
 Franz Josef Glacier |
 NZJan08 1400.jpg |
 Franz Josef Glacier |
 Our pilot flying low over Franz Josef |
 Nearing the top of Franz Josef Glacier |
 Franz Josef Glacier |
 Franz Josef Glacier |
 Franz Josef Glacier |
 Franz Josef and Fox are tongues off the main Tasman Glacier |
 Franz Josef Glacier |
 Mount Tasman and Mount Cook |
 Franz Josef Glacier |
 The Eastern Slope is covered in low cloud |
 Summit of Mount Tasman comes into view on right |
 Mount Haidinger |
 The summit of Mt Cook is just starting to come into view behind Mt Haidinger & L of Mt Tasman |
 Tasman Glacier on the eastern slope |
 Getting closer to the summit |
 Mts Haidinger, Cook and Tasman |
 Mount Tasman |
 Mount Haast comes into view as well |
 High peaks surrounding Mt Cook |
 Clear view of the summit of Mt Cook, left, and Mt Tasman |
 We were lucky we didn't try and do the flight from the east side |
 Mount Cook - Aoraki in Maori (3754m/12,316ft) |
 Summit of Mount Tasman (3497m/11,473ft) |
 Mt Cook & Mt Tasman, highest pair in the Southern Alps |
 Mount Cook / Aoraki |
 Mountains near Mt Cook |
 Mt Cook & Mt Tasman |
 Mount Cook |
 Mount Cook and socked in eastern valleys |
 Mount Tasman flyby |
 Glacier on the north side of Mount Tasman |
 Mount Cook |
 Mount Cook |
 Saddle between Mt Tasman and Mt Cook |
 One of the mountain huts around Mt Cook |
 Such good luck for us... |
 Eastern Slope of the Southern Alps |
 Tasman Glacier on the eastern slope of the Southern Alps |
 Mt Haast & Mt Haidinger looking north |
 Mount Tasman |
 Mount Cook & Mt Tasman |
 Tasman Glacier |
 Mt Cook |
 Mount Cook / Aoraki |
 Flying 11,000 - still 1300 ft below the summit |
 Summit of Mt Cook out of the helicopter |
 Mount Cook flyby |
 Mom in the back |
 Rounding the bend - Mount Sefton |
 Headed west now |
 The clouds nearly reach the divide in places |
 SW of Mt Cook |
 SW of Mt Cook |
 Headed for a landing on Fox Glaxier |
 SW of Mt Cook |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Flying down Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Mount Tasman seen from the NW |
 Mount Cook seen from the NW |
 Fox Glacier |
 Coming around for a landing on Fox Glacier |
 Shadow of the helicopter on Fox Glacier |
 Another company, The Helicopter Line, comes in for a landing behind us |
 Helicopter landing on Fox Glacier |
 ZK-HFK on Fox Glacier |
 ZK-HFK on Fox Glacier |
 ZK-HFK on Fox Glacier |
 A short walk on Fox Glacier |
 On Fox Glacier |
 On Fox Glacier |
 Mom & Deb chat w/the pilot, Fox Glacier |
 Glacier Helicopters, Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Mom and Deb with the helicopter, Fox Glacier |
 Mom, Deb and Helicopter |
 Mom, Deb and Helicopter |
 ...he left the engine running... |
 Me, mom and Deb, with the helicopter, Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 A pair of helicopters on Fox Glacier |
 Debbie on Fox Glacier |
 Airborne again for the flight down Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 Waterfall onto Fox Glacier |
 Fox Glacier |
 The tongue of Fox Glacier |
 The tongue of Fox Glacier |
 The tongue of Fox Glacier |
 The tongue of Fox Glacier |
 The valley below Fox Glacier |
 Fox River |
 Village of Fox Glacier |
 Fox River |
 Highway 6 bridge crossing the Fox River |
 Fox River |
 Fox River bridge at Fox Glacier |
 On approach |
 Glacier Helicopter's home base |
 Coming in for a landing |
 That was a great flight |
 Totally worth it |