Vast area of Geikie Snowfield of upper parts of Franz Josef Glacier during setting sun with Mt. Tasman and Aoraki, Mount Cook dominating skyline, Westland Tai Poutini National Park, West Coast, UNESCO World Heritage Area, New Zealand, NZ

Perhaps everyone knows how glaciers work…a lot of snow (and I mean a lot of it, up to 50m to gain a compressing weight of its own) compacting into the ice with gravity pulling this mass down the hill. It may however be a bit harder for everyone to imagine the scale of the area where all this compacting happens.
Franz Josef Glacier is one of the smaller glaciers by world standards but quite a sizeable chunk of ice in New Zealand landscape.
On this photograph I’ve been hoping to show the vastness of the upper parts of this currently about 10km long glacier. With 2 highest peaks of the New Zealand’s Southern Alps dominating the background – Mount Tasman on far top left 3,497m and highest mountain Aoraki/Mount Cook 3,724m next to it on right, the vastness of the Geikie and Davis Snowfields of the Franz Josef Glacier is quite apparent.
This wonderful scene has been photographed just as the sun was dipping over the horizon of the Tasman Sea on right and I love the beautiful light bouncing over about 30 square km large NEVE in wonderful hues of purple, pink and orange. Hope you enjoy this image, too. Thank you.

Pastel colours of twilight over Southern Alps with Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman from Okarito Lagoon, Westland National Park, West Coast, World Heritage Area, South Westland, New Zealand

It’s hard to describe my feelings when I’m at pristine places like Okarito on the West Coast in New Zealand with its surrounding lagoons, wetlands and wild beaches. Without wanting to be too sentimental, I just can’t help it to say that my heart is always up my throat, filled with joy how beautiful this place is.
Regardless of the time of the day, you always can make a wonderful photograph in Okarito. For me though, my time I love to photograph is when the sun is near the horizon and the light orchestrates its play around you. Once the sun dips below horizon, the air fills up with pastel hues of pinks and purples, contrast balances out, remoteness with silence all around makes me feel this place belongs just to me….and it’s then, when photographs like this can be made.

Dusk at Okarito Lagoon with views of the Southern Alps on horizon, West Coast, Westland National Park, World Heritage Area, South Westland, New Zealand

Thank you for checking in and Enjoy!

Image ©Petr Hlavacek – nzicescapes.com

Mt. Cook 3,754m and Mt. Tasman 3,497m, Westland National Park, World Heritage Area, West Coast, New Zealand

I’m sure that every photographer time time struggles with culling similar images down…which one to keep and which to throw into the bin…especially when each of the frame can stand on its own, has it’s own quality and charm?
I’ve always had problems with this but I think I’m getting better at it now.
Time to time however, I find a nut which is hard to crack…like this one.

When I get to this point where I simply am out of breath, I look at it from a different angle and try to find deliberate use of the images for portraying the scene, usually in a different quality light as it passes through… and I’m finding that this works best with scenes with strong and clear compositions and main subject….like this one.

Mt. Cook 3,754m, Mt. Tasman 3,497m of The Southern Alps, Westland National Park, West Coast, World Heritage Area, New Zealand

Taken with Nikon D300 and printed as high quality Fine Poster at 130cm x 60cm approx.

Thank you for visiting and Enjoy!

Tramper with Mt. Cook on right (3754m) and Mt. Tasman on left (3497m) from near Mt. Fox in Westland National Park, West Coast, New Zealand.

These are some of the best locations New Zealand has on offer and I’m always thrilled and shaking by excitement when I plan to venture into these spots.

It won’t be long before I’ll be back here!

Mt. Cook on right (3754m) and Mt. Tasman on left (3497m) from near Mt. Fox in Westland National Park, West Coast, New Zealand.

Love this place – Enjoy!

A promotional rugby game on the NEVE of the Fox Glacier - Westland National Park, West Coast, New Zealand

By the end of the last year’s winter, we had a lot of fun. With our still photography we were covering an exciting promo project of the Glacier Country in New Zealand – Rugby Match on Fox Glacier Neve. This project offers an opportunity to win NZ$50.000 price package in a Glacier Country Rugby Competition. For details please go to – glaciercountry.co.nz
On this project we worked alongside of a great film maker from Auckland, Tony Burrows of Motion Pacific who was putting together a short promo movie from the match, showcasing an incredible environment we are so fortunate to live in. The aim with this project is to attract attention of all rugby fans, tourists and journalists who will travel to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup and to show them the opportunities and incredible beauty our precious West Coast/Glacier Country has on offer. We all hope here on the West Coast that these rugby fans will take an opportunity to extend their “rugby holidays” and will swing over the hills to the coast to pay us a visit. We look forward to seeing them here.

To see more images, please visit – GLACIER COUNTRY or follow this Facebook link – http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.188350501209683.45001.186662558045144

Fox Glacier under highest peaks in New Zealand - Mt. Tasman 3,497m and Mt Cook 3,754m

When do we call a chunk of ice a glacier? Usually, the ice mass has to be at least 100m x 100m in size and needs to show some signs of a present or past movement.
Generally, glaciers are divided into two main groups – Ice Sheets and Valley Glaciers, each with several sub-types.
Ice Sheets or Continental Glaciers are the largest masses of ice on Earth spreading over 50,000 square kilometres with the depth of ice sometimes more than 4,200m. They are only found in Antarctica and Greenland. Ice Shelves are floating extensions of Ice Sheets and surround most of Antarctica. Ice masses smaller than 50,000km2, with a dome-shaped accumulation of ice and snow completely covering mountainous areas, are called Ice Caps and are found in high elevations of polar and sub-polar regions. Similar but smaller than Ice Caps are Ice Fields which can cover low-relief mountain plateaus providing a source of ice for Mountain or Valley Glaciers. Relatively smaller than its originating ice source are Outlet Glaciers, these are rapidly moving frozen streams flowing out of larger bodies of ice.

The ice flow of a glacier is divided into two types, internal deformation and basal sliding. Internal deformation is movement of parts of the glacier relative to itself. Throughout the descent of the glacier, the ice at the sides and bottom side of the glacier are subject to more friction from the valley floor and walls, and therefore forced to move at a slower rate than the ice in the centre of the glacier. As a result the ice deforms within itself. Basal sliding occurs as water, either rain or melt passes underneath the glacier and acts as a lubricant between the ice and the bedrock. This is the main source of terminal velocity of temperate glaciers.

The bottom layers of the glacier flow deform plastically under the pressure allowing the glacier as a whole to slide down the valley like a huge toffee. It is the upper layer of around 30metres where the glacier is more brittle, therefore the ice here cracks and breaks into crevasses and seracs in order to bend over uneven bedrock.