Traveling the wilds of New Zealand's West Coast exposes such a vast array of wilderness. My expectations of spending a serene, picturesque summer in the South Island dramatically altered as soon as I set foot on Franz Joseph glazier. Picking up my ice axe and plunging it into the depths of blue liquid pools was my introduction to eight exhilaration hours of adventure. Not once did the scenery remain static One minute stepping through strange streams of flowing water down beds of blue ice and the next traversing mountainous crags ... (more)