Tourist hikes up New Zealand glaciers axed as they melt amid global warming
‘Like a loaf of bread shrinking in its tin’, the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, which drew nearly a million visitors last year, have receded so much, hikes up to them from below are now too dangerous
New Zealand is renowned for its scenery, and among the country’s top tourist attractions are two glaciers that are both stunning and unusual because they snake down from the mountains to a temperate rain forest, making them easy for people to walk up to and view.
But the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers have been melting at such a rapid rate that it has become too dangerous for tourists to hike onto them from the valley floor, ending a tradition that dates back a century. With continuing warm weather this year there are no signs of a turnaround, and scientists say it is another example of how global warming is impacting the environment.
Tourism in New Zealand is booming and nearly 1 million people last year flocked to get a glimpse of the glaciers and the spectacular valleys they’ve carved.
But the only way to set foot on them now is to get flown onto them by helicopter.
Tour operators offer flights and guided glacier walks, although logistics limit this to 80,000 tourists per year, half the number that once hiked up from the valley floor. Up to another 150,000 people each year take scenic flights that land briefly at the top of the glaciers.