River of Ice

Franz Joseph Glacier, New Zealand

A mountaineering tour on the Franz Josef Glacier, on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. After leaving the Fox Glacier Hotel, two young women and a mountain guide take the route up to Waiho River to reach the glacier terminal face. Then, already in the ice, the women are instructed in ice climbing. The group ascends roped through the serrated pinnacles of ice and after a lunch break with teacups, they climb up to the Defiance Hut, on the glacier moraine, to spend the night there. The story continues in the film 'Southern Peaks', where the party climbs Mount Moltke. The films are part of a series of films produced at the end of the twenties by the New Zealand Government Publicity Office to promote the beauty and attractions of the country.