Most people either walk up to terminal face of Fox Glacier or take a helicopter ride over it. We opted to walk up and look down on it! The sky was clear when we woke so we packed up and drove round to the start of the route up Mount Fox. The peak is to the south of the glacier and the path heads up very steeply through dense forest with little respite. Most of the path is covered in tree roots and at times you have to actually use the roots to climb up. We got glimpses of the sky as we ascended, could see that it was still blue and could hear the helicopters overhead on their scenic trips. After about two hours of relentless uphill the forest thinned out slightly and we walked through an area filled with bird song, although we couldn't see any! The forest floor was covered in red needles and you could see some of the trees which we assumed was what was attracting the birds. From here the track got very muddy until it reached a short levelling as you exited the forest. You could see Fox Glacier and the Southern Alps in front and behind out to the Tasman Sea. We continued on up through alpine grasslands, which was very sharp, to a ridge which we thought was the summit of Mt Fox. It wasn't the best decision by Diane to wear shorts today! Despite the high cloud covering the tops of the Mt Tasman and Aoraki the views were stunning. After taking in the views we continued on to what we thought was the point at 1345m, which we'd read in a magazine was where you get the best views. The route was initially a faint path but then disappeared and we had to route find around glassy hollows and rock slabs. It was quite tough going but we finally reached what we thought was the point and enjoyed lunch looking out over the glaciers, snow fields and Southern Alps. We retraced our route back to the summit and then down through the alpine grasslands to the forest. With little light being able to get through the canopy the ground was wet, mossy and extremely slippy making our descent slow. At times we had to down climb the tree roots. It took us as long to get down this part of the route as it had to get up. We finally reached the roadside, tired, muddy and, for those in shorts with numerous scratches. We stopped off in the village to buy provisions for dinner before heading back to the campsite and enjoying dinner alfresco in lovely evening sunshine. We reread the route in the magazine only to realise that what we thought was Mt Fox was actually Point 1345m with Mt Fox being the knoll as you exit the forest. The point we walked to was unnamed, and probably rarely climbed! We headed off to bed exhausted but exhilarated!
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| The start of the route |
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| Heading up through the forest |
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| What we later established was Mt Fox! |
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| Fox Glacier and the Southern Alps |
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| Mt Tasman with the unnamed peak on the right |
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| Point 1345m |
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| Mt Tasman through the cloud |
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| The view from the unnamed peak |
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| Aoraki |
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| From the unnamed peak |
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| Down climbing tree roots with muddy and scratched legs |
Gosh that looked a tough day s climb. You certainly are two fit people. The view are magnificent and a sure reward for your exertions
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