Cold snap brings icebergs

Strong winds at Aoraki-Mount Cook have blown more than 50 icebergs down to the southern end of the Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake. Photo / Glacier Explorers

Strong winds at Aoraki-Mt Cook have blown more than 50 icebergs down to the southern end of the Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake.

The icebergs are near the Glacier Explorers boat jetty and can be seen from the public walking track. Wintry conditions have forced the early closure of boat cruises among the icebergs.

"It's a fitting finale to an absolutely bumper season for us. All the ice currently in the lake will be our iceberg 'stock' for next summer," operations manager Bede Ward said.

This season, Terminal Lake has had the largest iceberg calvings seen.

On February 10, a slab of ice estimated at 250m long, 250m wide and 80m in height, plunged into the lake causing a 3m tidal wave.

To meet increased demand this season, Glacier Explorers expanded its passenger capacity by adding a fourth craft and more trips to its daily schedule.

The company will resume operations when the lake thaws in early to mid September.