Kayaking to a Glacier

Upon arrival at Mt. Cook Village, we checked in at the Hermitage Hotel, which is just about the only place to stay here. Of course, you could camp out, but you know we are not exactly the best camping material...Our nearby cabin (the closest thing you can get to camping without sleeping outside...) was not ready, and so we checked our bags and headed for adventure. Because this was the first clear day in two weeks, everyone was outside...there was a boat tour to the Tasman Glacier that was full, and lots of people were going up in planes and helicopters (this is quite expensive...). We headed to the Mountaineer Cafe and signed up for kayaking to the Mueller Glacier. We were the only ones to sign up for this "non-spectator" sport and so we had a guide, Jason, all to ourselves.

We hopped in his truck and headed for the campgrounds. From here we carried kayak skirts and life jackets on a hike to the glacier lake. It was absolutely beautiful; we were thanking God that there were no snakes! We had to climb up and then down again to the edge of the lake. Jason keeps kayaks hidden there, and we pulled them out. The water was again opaque, but did not have the other-worldly color of Lake Tekapo...there is really a lot of glacier flour in Mueller Lake due to being so close to the glacier and all of its sediment....there are no fish in this lake either. Occasionally we would see birds, which Jason said probably ate spiders and bugs...but we didn't see any spiders or bugs at all.

Just because it seemed like we were at the end of the earth, it was very startling to hear and see avalanches every few minutes....the glacier itself dropped rocks and ice regularly, causing ripples in the lake. If a big piece drops, Jason said that it makes a sort of tidal wave in the lake that will turn the kayaks over....Now the water was very cold, as you can imagine, and so we were prepared with all sorts of gear in case the worst happened, as hypothermia will ensue quickly if you get submerged. Susie and I shared a kayak, and followed Jason to the glacier face. He told us that every time he sees the glacier it looks rather different because of the constant melting. About sixty per cent of the glaciers are underwater, and water is what melts the glacier the fastest....You have to be careful not to go too close to the face of the glacier, as a good bit of activity goes on there sporadically. We developed a heathy respect for it quickly...

We paddled around to the back of the glacier and into a bluer part of water to the side and somewhat behind the glacier...We got out of the kayaks here and climbed up the rocks and ice to get a better view. It was awesome and magnificent. We were thirsty and drank of the water there, which was truly the best tasting and coldest water ever!!!!

All along the way I took pictures when I could, but as you can see the lens was quite spattered with water. There was a small net pocket in the front of my life jacket vest (which zips on the side) and I stuffed the camera in that....The kayak splash skirts were hilarious, and we had quite a confusing time trying to get in and out of them...Jason did not really want me to photograph him up close in that skirt!

We had to hurry on the way back to the base of the lake, since the wind was picking up and the water was getting quite choppy. We had to be careful not to go too far, since just beyond our starting off point the Level 4 rapids begin...Can't kayak that well, now can we?

This was perhaps one of the best afternoons in our lives. We were exhausted at the end of the day and after eating a great dinner, we collapsed into sleep.