Glacier Explorers

Largest ever ‘calving’ on Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake

A major ‘calving’ event on the front face of New Zealand’s Tasman Glacier has created the largest-ever iceberg seen on the Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake.

The calving – believed to have happened in the early hours of yesterday morning (Saturday February 23) – saw the entire 650m-wide front face of the Tasman Glacier in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park break away into the lake. The ice broke into around 20 huge icebergs, including one described as “the largest ever” by quite some way.

There’s one iceberg which surpasses the last largest-ever single iceberg (nicknamed Taniwha) we’ve ever had on the lake by quite some way. The sheer walls of this iceberg reach 40 to 50 metres in height above the waterline, and would almost certainly be 200 to 250 metres beneath the water line. That’s simply enormous.

This calving would make for “fantastic viewing” for visitors on board our Mac Boats, which take passengers out on the lake to view towering ice cliffs and the huge ‘bergs’.

It’s an extraordinary opportunity to view nature in action, simply spectacular. No-one witnessed the calving as it happened at night.