Tasman Glacier

About

At over 600 meters deep and covering an area of 27km, the Tasman Glacier is the largest ice shelf in New Zealand. Lying in its own terminal lake, climate change has chunks of ice regularly breaking off into the water, making it one of the only lakes in the world to contain icebergs. The lake itself is also a product of climate change - it didn’t even exist in 1973, but by 2008, it was 7 kilometres long, 2 kilometres wide, and 245 metres deep. Just a short, one hour return hike through the dramatic alpine landscape brings you to the viewing area for the glacier where you can take in its icy beauty. Along the way keep an eye out or the rifleman - New Zealand’s smallest bird weighing in at just 7 grams. It’s also possible to arrange boat tours to see the glacier from up close at http://www.glacierexplorers.com/