When I was living in Fox Glacier in New Zealand, for being "locals" we could get to do some of the tours for free. Sometimes there would be a spare seat in the helicopter and then a local would be welcome to join the fun. What we would do is tip the pilot with a 24 pack of beers (to enjoy on their day off lol). This way we would be doing a NZD 400 tour for around NZD 40 yaay.
The pictures I am sharing today are from a Heli-Hike I did with my friend Augusto back in 2013. The Heli-Hike is a 3 hour walk on the glacier with a guide. You fly up to the glacier in helicopter, they drop you off there and leave you with your guide. And 3 hours later they come and pick you up. It is a cool tour because it mixes flying on a helicopter, which is a great experience, and also you have a hike on the ice, getting to see ice caves, blue ice, waterfalls and lots of cool stuff.
Living in New ZealandĀ“s West Coast is tough. Weather is rough... too rough. In Fox Glacier it rains a lot, and when I say a lot I mean 6000mm a year. That is ridiculous. So... you learn how to appreciate a sunny day there. Or even a not rainy one lol. Rain has a nostalgic/melancholic feeling, it makes you think a lot. Movies and TV shows are mandatory when living in Fox Glacier š.
But the cool thing about living in this small town (500 inhabitants) lost in the mountains and at 2 hours from the closest city, is that you bond with your friends in a quite unique way. You get to spend a lot of time together, so friendships strengthen rapidly. Some people cannot take it, living in a small town far from everything with no malls and not even a supermarket is not for everyone. I loved it though. That is why I spent like 3 years working there as a chef in a small restaurant called "The Last Kitchen".
Another cool thing I did in fox was Skydiving. Jumping off a plane at 16000 feet with the view if the Southern Alps was one of the most exciting things I have ever done. Cool stuff. Unluckily I donĀ“t have pictures of that day, since I was on a budget and decided not to spend the extra NZD200 for the video/pictures.
So... Here are some pictures taken with my old Sony Alpha NEX5. Hope you like them! And as I always say: Thanks for your support!
All photos were taken by me 
Camera Body: Sony Alpha Nex5
Lens: Sony 18-55mm