“On a Mish” #417 The Sea of White. Climbers Corner. Haupapa Tasman Glacier. 22.12.2014. It is incredible that what you see from Aoraki Mt Cook Village is only a small taste of what’s on offer in the land of New Zealand’s biggest mountains. While many admire the view up the Hooker Valley at the famous south face glacier and Low and Middle Peak, it is only a select few that not only see the eastern aspects of the peak, but also the near endless stretch of Haupapa Tasman Glacier. When there you feel like a small drop of water floating in a sea of white…
The nerves of excitement begin to increase the closer you get to Aoraki Mt Cook Airport. By this stage only the very tip of what is essentially a gigantic land iceberg. It isn’t until you are in the air that you see how far the glacier goes until it reaches its high point at the Tasman Saddle. Between the airport and the saddle is a lot of cold stuff. Vast seems like an understatement when the ice runs for around 27km, making it easily the largest glacier in Aotearoa.
Sitting around two thirds of the way up the glacier is a place that usually delivered the goods when it came to customer satisfaction. When possible, we would normally venture to would be ‘Climbers Corner’. Located under the twisted mass of the faces of Mounts Coronet, Green and Walter, the place is incredibly spectacular and usually got its fair share of ohhhhs & ahhhhs!
After flying in via either a helicopter or modified float plane we would listen to the drone of the aircraft disappear before beginning the trek over to Climbers Corner. Because the place is a ‘corner’ on the glacier the pressure and force create all sorts of crazy lumps, bumps, crevasses and caves, along with the many seracs that can be seen hanging high above the unique spot.
The change in environment couldn’t be any more different that the surroundings seen back at the airport, it is like you have been transported to another planet. Of course there are still giant mountains all around you, but you are also now deep in a sea of white and it would take a lot of swimming to get back to the safety of the airport / village. Because of this we had to be very careful with the when we went as getting stuck up on the ice would be a disaster and to me this added to the remoteness of a location only a short flight from the hustle and bustle of the tiny town.
After landing on the ice, the helicopter or plane takes off and you are left with a silence like no other. Apart from the odd distant waterfall, the place is as quiet as quiet can be. The ice and snow seem to absorb most sounds and what you are left with is vacant air. I have had the odd client feel a little uneasy due to them never being anywhere without the sounds of humans. It is by far the easiest way to experience the true remote Aotearoa, which is what I seek whenever I go ‘On a Mish’.
It was rather disappointing that my time guiding on Haupapa Tasman Glacier had to come to an end. A lack of work meant bills won the battle and I had to venture down south to the equally as awesome Humpridge Track on Fiordland’s south coast. I will never forget my time guiding in Aoraki Mt Cook. The sights, scenes and superb satisfaction of showing people an incredible part of the world will stick with me to the end. If you have the money, then I highly recommend you go for a heli-hike on the Tasman Glacier. There aren’t many places as epic as the sea of white that slowly flows downward from the Tasman Saddle. It will be an adventure you will never forget!
