'Blue ice' iceberg experience wows visitors to Aoraki Mount Cook National Park

A sighting of ‘blue ice’ at the base of a massive iceberg that rolled over in the Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake yesterday (Thursday January 13) has been captured in a series of stunning images.

Photographers have just two hours to capture images of the crystal-clear blue ice on the base of an iceberg, hidden beneath the surface for more than 300 years, before it oxidizes on exposure to air and turns white.

So visitors on a Glacier Explorers trip yesterday couldn’t believe their eyes when they were treated to one of Mother Nature’s most impressive shows of brilliance, getting so up close and personal with the iceberg that they were even able to touch the clear blue crystals.

“This ice is so dense and compressed, it’s five times harder than the ice you might have in your gin and tonic,” said Denis Callesen, General Manager Tourism for Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Village Ltd.

“Each ice crystal is the size of a coffee cup, so when it’s finally exposed to air, within two hours the air seeps into the weak spots around each crystal and it turns white.

“The passengers on our Glacier Explorers trip yesterday were luckier than they could possibly imagine. It was a perfect blue skies day, the peak of Aoraki Mount Cook was glistening away in the distance, and their trip coincided with a two-hour window of opportunity to witness this phenomena.”

Mr Callesen said the iceberg was created when 50million tones of ice ‘calved’ off the Tasman Glacier face in July and August.

“As they melt down, they become unstable, especially in this warmer weather. This is the second significant iceberg rollover we’ve had this week, and on Monday another 1million tones of ice calved off the terminal face.

“We’ve had about 1.5m of rain in the last three weeks, and that water is getting under the glacier and pushing it up. For that reason we know that we’re looking at a significant number of calving events in the next couple of months, making it the very best time to see the enormous icebergs and majestic glacier views on the Tasman Glacier Lake.

“In Disneyland they spend millions of dollars creating ‘shows’ like this, but here this is simply Nature at work. We’re so very lucky that it’s just given to us.”

Travellers on Glacier Explorers trips can also enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, including Aoraki Mount Cook, and some of the best photographic opportunities available in the national park.

For more information visit www.glacierexplorers.com.