Photo: Aerial Glacier Crevasses New Zealand

Beautiful hues of blue appear amongst the crevasses on Franz Josef Glacier on the South Island of New Zealand.

To see these spectacular crevasses on Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand, we boarded a helicopter for a tour with Glacier Helicopters. Franz Josef Glacier currently extends for twelve kilometers and guided hiking tours are available but a helicopter journey is the most practical way to see these crevasses. The helicopter takes you up to the first and second icefalls and the hike from there is much more exhilarating.These crevasses are cracks or fissures in the Franz Josef Glacier that have appeared because of the changes in the speed of the glacier. There are three main types of crevasses, one being transverse crevasses which are seen most often, another are marginal crevasses and the last being longitudinal crevasses.Hikers or mountain climbers should always be well trained in rescue attempts as walking across a glacier after a fairly recent snowfall can be very deceiving. One wrong step can send a person into very large crevasses that can be extremely dangerous. ... continue below the picture...

... Many tourists travel to Franz Josef Glacier on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand but specialized equipment for ice climbing is needed to have a closer look at these beautifully formed crevasses.Crevasses on Franz Josef Glacier seen during a Mount Cook Spectacular with landing flight (40 minutes) with Glacier Helicopters, Westland, West Coast, South Island, New Zealand.