got ICE? or maybe just a PICK?

Driving up the westcoast of the south island in New Zealand brings us to the two famous ice glaciers named Fox and Franz Josef. The latter being the larger of the two, however once you are on the glacier itself, "ice is ice".

There are several ways you can enjoy this natural marvel depending on how much time you have, how much you want to spend and how crazy you really are. We decided to settle on doing an ice climb on Fox Glacier.

The morning began with a bright blue ski (again, not a common phenomenon in this part of the country). It was only the two of us that was going to participate in this event (with of course, a guide). Forget warm ups or gradually easying us into this sport. The first wall we were put on would be the hardest of the day as there was a slight overhang at the top which we needed to climb past. Therefore, we were given a set of ice pics and a pair of foot claws then we strap ourselves onto the rope and away we go.

We can't tell you what a unique experience this was. It felt as if you were in Superman's fortress of solitude trying to climb to the top. Though it was physically challenging at times, when you finally reached the peak of each wall, it felt as if you conquered another part of nature. In total we did 6. My personal favorite was when I was dropped into a hole of ice where a part of it was a waterfall. It was my task to climb out of that hole if I wanted to go home.

Nine hours later, we were exhausted yet satisfied. Though it did eventually rain while we were up there, it did nothing to dampen our spirits. Another tick on the "things to do list" before we pass on and a big thank you to the glacier for having us on board.

- the lone asian