♪ WHO'S GONNA SAVE THE WORLD ♪ >>> WE'RE GOING BACK TO ROBIN LIVE IN ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND. ROBIN, YOU GOT A CHANCE TO VISIT ONE OF THEM IN HIGH-FLYING FASHION. >> I CERTAINLY DID, MICHAEL. NEW ZEALAND IS HOME TO NEARLY 3,000 GLACIERS BUT THEY ARE VANISHING QUICKLY BECAUSE OF RISING TEMPERATURES, SO I WENT TO GET A FIRSTHAND LOOK FOR MYSELF. ♪ TO GET AN UP CLOSE LOOK AT THE NEW ZEALAND'S SPECTACULAR YET VANISHING GLACIERS -- >> HELLO. >> GOOD MORNING. >> GOOD MORNING. SO THIS IS THE BIRD WE'RE GOING UP IN. >> IT CERTAINLY IS. >> Reporter: WE SUITED UP TO SOAR THE BLUE SKIES FOR A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW. IT'S WHAT'S SCIENTISTS CALL A CRITICAL PART OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS. TAKING OFF TO WITNESS THE DANGEROUSLY THIN ICE AND OUT OF THIS WORLD EXPERIENCE. WE DIDN'T PAY EXTRA FOR THE BALLOON, DID WE? HERE WE GO. HERE WE GO. WHOO! >> HOUSTON, WE HAVE LIFTOFF. >> OH, MY GOODNESS. THIS IS ALREADY SO COOL. THE EXTREME TERRAIN NESTLED AT THE TOP OF NEW ZEALAND'S SOUTHERN ALPS, A BUSTLING TOURISM HUB AND AN EVERYDAY OFFICE FOR LONGTIME GLACIER PILOT MICHAEL CLARK. MICHAEL, YOU'VE BEEN A PILOT SINCE 2004? >> I STARTED FLYING IN 2004. I'VE SEEN LOTS OF INTERESTING THINGS THAT I GUESS MOST PEOPLE COULD ONLY DREAM OF SO MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. >> Reporter: SOAKING IN THE MAJESTIC MOUNTAINS. SO UNTOUCHED. SO NATURAL. CRYSTAL BLUE LAKES. OH, MY GOODNESS. AND BREATHTAKING WATERFALLS. WOW. OUR LARGER THAN LIFE TREK REVEALING THE IMPACT OF A CHANGING CLIMATE. >> IT LOOKS LIKE A WATERFALL BUT THAT'S ACTUALLY ICE FALLING OFF THE CLIFFS SMASHING. SO YOU CAN SEE THEM DISAPPEARING RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES. >> FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THEM CHANGE? >> I SPENT CONSIDERABLE TIME THINKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE I FLY AROUND THEM EVERY DAY AND LAND ON THEM. I CAN TELL YOU I'VE WATCHED GLACIERS COMPLETELY DISAPPEAR THROUGHOUT MY CAREER. >> Reporter: BEHIND THE STUNNING LANDSCAPE LIE CRACKS AND CREVICES, THE ICE MELTING AT A RECORD RATE. >> WE HAVE ABOUT 3,000, MOST OF THEM VERY SMALL AND WE'VE BEEN LOSING ICE REALLY RAPIDLY, IN FACT, IT'S ACCELERATING. >> Reporter: THE RAPID RETREAT CREATING A LONG-TERM THREAT TO LOCALS WHO DEEPLY RELY ON BUSTLING GLACIER TOURISM. >> ROUGHLY BEEN HERE SOMEWHERE AT THAT TIME PERIOD. >> Reporter: CLIFF GOODWIN HAS DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO GUIDING GLACIER TOURS. JUST A DECADE AGO THE GRIM REALITY SETTING IN. THE POPULAR FRANZ JOSEPH GLACIER DEEMED NO LONGER SAFE TO ACCESS BY FOOT. >> YOU COULDN'T WALK ON IT ANYMORE. WE HAD TO START FLYING IN A HELICOPTER. IT WAS A BIT SAD FOR US LIKE WE SEE A LOT OF THEM DISAPPEARING. >> Reporter: SO CLIFF LIKE MANY MADE A PIVOT WITH HIS WIFE TOSH BY HIS SIDE HE TAKES VISITORS ON NATURE EXPEDITIONS NEAR THE FOOT OF THE ICE. >> THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE RECEDED SO MUCH IN SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME IS NOT NATURAL, EVEN IF IT'S NOT RIGHT IN YOUR BACKYARD IT'S STILL GOING TO AFFECT YOU. >> Reporter: LOCAL SCIENTIST BRIAN ANDERSON STUDIES THEM INSTALLING CAMERAS ON THE RIVERS OF ICE TO MONITOR DRASTIC CHANGES IN REALTIME. >> ALL OF THE WORK THAT I'VE DONE OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS HAS SHOWN THE TEMPERATURE. THE FUTURE DEPENDS VERY MUCH ON THE TEMPERATURE. >> Reporter: OVER 6,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL, IT WAS TIME TO EXPERIENCE THE GLACIER'S CONDITIONS FIRSTHAND. SO, MICHAEL, WHERE ARE WE ABOUT TO LAND AND WHAT SHOULD I BE PREPARED TO SEE? >> SO WE'RE APPROACHING THE CLARK GLACIER. IT'S GOING TO BE BRIGHT SO YOU'LL NEED YOUR SUNNIES. SOAK UP THE PEACE AND QUIET, THE SERENITY. >> SERENITY NOW. >> Reporter: STICKING OUR LANDING, A SURREAL MOMENT TO TAKE IN THE SHEER MAGNITUDE ON TOP OF THE ICE. WOW. THANK YOU. >> WELCOME TO PARADISE. >> THANK YOU, MICHAEL. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? NICE OFFICE YOU GOT HERE. >> IT'S A PRETTY GOOD OFFICE. >> OH, MY GOSH. THIS IS -- I AM ON A GLACIER. >> YOU ARE. AND IT'S QUITE SOFT. EVEN FOR THIS TIME OF THE MORNING. LOOK AT THAT. >> YES. >> JUST A LITTLE BIT AFTER 9:00 A.M. AND IT'S WARM. >> MICHAEL, PEOPLE THAT WILL BE WATCHING THIS, MANY OF THEM HAVE NOT BEEN TO NEW ZEALAND. THEY'VE NEVER BEEN ON A GLACIER. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT PEOPLE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? >> THEY ARE DISAPPEARING QUICKLY. A FEW YEARS AGO -- IT'S JUST BEEN SORT OF GRADUALLY RETREATING. I BRING TOURISTS FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD TO APPRECIATE AND LOOK AT THESE. ONCE THEY'RE GONE OBVIOUSLY WE WON'T BE ABLE TO DO THAT ANYMORE. >> ONCE UPON A TIME YOU COULD ACTUALLY WALK TO THE GLACIER. NOW THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN SEE IT IS BY CHOPPER. >> IT'S ALL RECEDED SO FAR UP THE MOUNTAIN IT'S BASICALLY SURROUNDED BY CLIFFS. YOU GOT TO BE PRETTY INTREPID TO HIKE UP HERE. THE MAGIC CARPET IS A LOT MORE CONVENIENT. >> WHIT'S A THRILL FOR YOU. >> YEAH, IT IS. >> Reporter: WRAPPING WITH BRIGHT SUN, SOFT ICE AND EXTRAORDINARY VIEWS AS WE TAKE OFF IN OUR MAGIC CARPET. WHAT A WAY TO START THE WEEK. AND IT HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE WEEK EVER SINCE. NEW ZEALAND RESEARCHERS PREDICT THAT IN A DECADE MANY OF THE COUNTRY'S BELOVED AND IMPORTANT GLACIERS WILL BE GONE. THAT WILL IMPACT THE LANDSCAPE, THE WATER SUPPLY AND THE PEOPLE THAT YOU MET WHO DEPEND ON GLACIERS FOR THEIR LIVELIHOOD, MICHAEL. >> DEFINITELY NOT WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR, ROBIN. WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO GET IN THAT CHOPPER AND TO LAND ON TOP OF A GLACIER? >> MICHAEL, MY, MY, MY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE BLESSED TO BE IN THE PROFESSION WE'RE IN AND TO EXPERIENCE SO MUCH, BUT THAT WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING I'VE EVER EXPERIENCED AND THANKFUL TO MICHAEL AND TO ANDY, THE TWO PILOTS, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND YOU FEEL SO SMALL. YOU REALLY HAVE AN APPRECIATION FOR THE GRANDEUR AND THE MAGNITUDE OF NATURAL BEAUTY LIKE THAT. BUT TO COME IN FOR THAT SOFT LANDING AND ALL PEOPLE IN NEW ZEALAND ARE VERY RESPECTFUL OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT, MICHAEL AND ANDY INCLUDED AND IT'S AN EXPERIENCE THAT I WILL NOT FORGET. I ALSO, MICHAEL, GOT TO EXPERIENCE SOME OF THE PEOPLE'S TRADITIONS HERE AT THIS CULTURAL CENTER AND SPENT SOME TIME IN QUEENSTOWN AS WELL. WE'RE GETTING AROUND. THAT'S A PLAYGROUND FOR ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND ADVENTURE SEEKERS. I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU ALL OF THAT COMING UP A LITTLE BIT LATER ON THIS MORNING. >> YEAH, WE KNOW YOU'RE AN ADRENALINE JUNKIE. [ LAUGHTER ] >> RIGHT. >> GETTING A BIG FIX THERE. >> BUT WE'RE SO GLAD YOU'RE BRINGING THIS TO US, ROBIN. IT'S ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL BUT IT'S