Bruce SmithWestland Mayor Bruce Smith says about 750m of the access road to view the Franz Josef Glacier has gone. Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage is due Franz Josef later this week to see the extent of the damage. The washout on March 27 came only a month after the access road to Fox Glacier was closed by the largest active slip in New Zealand, with no plans to reinstate the road. Ms Sage wrote on her Facebook page last week that the loss of access to the glacier valleys "is a major issue". Mr Smith said yesterday a large chunk of the Franz Josef access road had been washed out "to bedrock".

Source: Otago Daily Times April 03, 2019 15:22 UTC