The country of New Zealand has both glaciers and sub-tropical beaches. Unfortunately, like other parts of the world, our glaciers are shrinking.
New Zealand is such an amazing country. It’s full of breathtaking beaches that are perfect for swimming and surfing. But, there are also big mountains. The north island has volcanoes and the south island has the southern alps. There are thousands of glaciers in New Zealand, some of which are very large.
What Is A Glacier?
DEFINITION – A glacier is a slowly moving mass or river of ice that formed by the accumulation of snow over time.
Snow falls in areas high up in the mountains and slowly accumulates. Over time that snow compacts and becomes more more solidified, eventually becoming part of the ice mass of the glacier itself.
Up high in the mountains the snow is accumulating and adding to the glacier. However, the glacier is not sitting still. Gravity is acting upon it, causing it to slowly move down a valley, eventually melting and disappearing.
How Many Glaciers Are There In New Zealand?
New Zealand is home to just over 3,000 glaciers! By far the majority of them are located in the South Island, along the central divide.
However, there are 18 small ones located on Mt. Ruapehu in the center of the North Island.
Are New Zealand’s Glaciers Shrinking?
Glaciologists, scientists that study glaciers, have determined that the glaciers in New Zealand are in fact shrinking. According to the research, since the 1970s the glaciers in NZ have shrunk by nearly a third!
Evidence of this retreat can be seen firsthand at Fox Glacier down on the west coast of the South Island. This glacier is still a big tourist draw, but now it requires a longer walk and you can’t get right up to it, but can only look at it from afar.
This is unfortunately a trend that is repeated across other areas of the world, from the Rockies in the USA to the Himalayas.
Some Of New Zealand’s Well Known Glaciers
Fox Glacier
Franz Joseph Glacier
Tasman Glacier
Hooker Glacier