Franz Josef & Fox Glacier

Only 12 kilometers apart are the twin glaciers Franz Josef (Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere — "The frozen tears of Hine Hukatere") and Fox Glacier (Te Moeka o Tuawe) — two of the most accessible glaciers in the world. What makes them unique: They extend from 3,000 meters in height down to just 300 meters above sea level — directly into the temperate rainforest. Nowhere else does ice meet subtropical vegetation so closely. The Māori legend tells that a woman named Hine Hukatere wept so bitterly for her lover killed by an avalanche that her tears froze and formed the glacier.

★★★ Helicopter Hike (Heli-Hike)

The most popular and spectacular way to experience the glaciers is a Heli-Hike (from 449 NZD with Franz Josef Glacier Guides, 3–4 hours total, about 2 hours on the ice). The process:

1. Briefing at the provider's office (30 minutes): Gear up (crampons, rain jacket, gloves — all provided), safety briefing.
2. Helicopter flight (4 minutes): Over the rainforest, the glacier fall, and the seracs to the landing site on the upper glacier. The flight alone is breathtaking — the ice glows in all shades of blue.
3. Glacier hike (2 hours): With crampons on your feet, you hike through ice caves (the blue inside is surreal — a blue no camera can capture), over seracs (ice towers), along crevasses (glacier cracks), and through narrow ice passages. The guides carve steps and find routes that change daily because the glacier is alive and moving.
4. Return flight by helicopter.

The experience is one of the defining adventures of a New Zealand trip. Book at least 2 days in advance and plan 2–3 days buffer for bad weather — the West Coast receives up to 5,000 mm of rainfall per year and helicopters do not fly in storms or dense fog. If the flight is canceled due to weather, it will be rescheduled for free. Fox Glacier offers comparable Heli-Hikes (Fox Glacier Guiding, from 439 NZD), slightly less visited.

★★ Hikes Without Helicopter

For those who don't want to fly (or want to save the budget): The Franz Josef Glacier Valley Walk (1.5 hours round trip, 5.4 km, flat, free) leads through dripping rainforest with tree ferns and nikau palms to the glacier valley. You see the glacier tongue from a safe distance — it has receded significantly in recent decades, vividly demonstrating the signs of climate change. Along the way: information panels showing where the glacier stood in 1900, 1950, and 2000.

The Roberts Point Track (5–6 hours, challenging, 750 meters of elevation gain) rewards with the best view of the glacier tongue from above — you see how the ice flows from the summit into the rainforest. The Alex Knob Track (8 hours, 1,000 meters of elevation gain) is the full-day alternative with panoramic views over the entire glacier and the Tasman Sea in the distance.

★★ Glacier Hot Pools

The Glacier Hot Pools (Cron Street, 29 NZD, evening rate from 5 pm: 25 NZD) are the perfect reward after a glacier day: three thermal pools (36 °C, 38 °C, 40 °C) in the rainforest under tree ferns. In the evening with a starry sky and the sound of rain on the fern leaves — pure relaxation. Private pools for 2 people from 55 NZD/45 min.

★★ Lake Matheson — The Perfect Photo

20 minutes by car south of Fox Glacier lies Lake Matheson — and one of New Zealand's most famous photo spots. In calm weather (best at sunrise) Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman reflect perfectly in the dark, tannin-stained water — an image that appears on every New Zealand calendar and postcard. The circuit around the lake (1.5 hours, flat, boardwalk) has two viewing platforms: The "Jetty" and the "Reflection Island" — the latter offers the perfect reflection. The Matheson Café at the parking lot serves excellent Flat White and breakfast (Eggs Benedict 22 NZD) — one of the best cafes on the entire West Coast.