Franz Josef Glacier

Franz Josef Glacier is 150 kilometres south of Hokitika on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Along with Fox Glacier, it forms part of the prestigious South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. The Franz Josef Glacier is stunning viewing from afar and even more amazing from close quarters. It forms an amazing connection between the western coast and the highest peaks of the Southern Alps.

The West Coast receives a huge amount of precipitation which causes the Franz Josef Glacier to be one of the fastest moving glaciers of the Southern Alps. This glacier has receded about 3 kilometres since it was sighted by Captain Cook. But Franz Josef acts contrary to other glaciers in the world by occasionally advancing after huge snowfalls in the mountains.

In 1865, Julius Haast, a geologist, named the Franz Josef Glacier after the Austro-Hungarian emperor. The Franz Josef Village is at the base of the glacier and is the hub of tourist activity, offering guided glacier walks and helicopter flights. Franz Josef Village is popular with a decent range of accommodation and eating choices. The glacier borders the village and the Southern Alps tower over it. There are an assortment of beautiful walks, heli-rafting and visits to the glacier to keep you busy for a couple of days.

There are bi-directional bus services running along the coast. The southbound bus drops visitors at Franz Josef and continues onward to Fox Glacier. The next day, in the morning, it picks up tourists from both locations and proceeds southward. The northbound bus does the reverse. There is a Nelson Fox Glacier service and a Greymouth Queenstown service which both come in the middle of the day from both directions. Having your own transport is a big asset to traveling around this area. The Glacier Valley Ecotours bus offers trips to the glaciers and local tours to Lake Matheson.

Accommodation choices are good at Franz Josef but it can be hard to get a place in peak season between November and March. You are advised to reserve your accommodation in advance. There are motels, bed and breakfasts (B&B) and a campsite with a range of tentsites, powered sites, cabins and units.

There are a wide variety of walks available in the Franz Josef Glacier area. The most popular is the 6 kilometre walk from the glacier car park to the face of the glacier, viewing an ever changing wall of ice as the Waiho River runs beneath the glacier. The Sentinel is a fabulous lookout point just 10 minutes walk from the car park. Other good walks are the circular Douglas Walk and the Alex Knob Track.

Glacier hikes are for all seasons. On rainy and foggy days, the scenic helicopter flights and the heli hikes are cancelled. A good alternative is a guided kayaking tour on Lake Mapourika which is about 8 kilometres north of Franz Josef Glacier. The trip lasts 3 and a half hours and includes 3 hours on the water. It provides a good look at the local birdlife and plant life and abounds in seriously great photographic locations. In good weather, the view of the majestic Southern Alps is breathtaking. There are also fantastic heli rafting adventures available on the local rivers.

The scenic flights to the glaciers are in helicopters or skiplanes. Flights from Franz Josef are of longer duration and better variety for what you pay. Skiplanes land on snowfields, which can be quite exciting. Normally flights provide overviews of both Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers and a flight around Aoraki Mount Cook. Landing on the glaciers costs extra. Helicopters are increasingly being used and land on a skifield high above the glacier. Snow landings are included in the price for some helicopter flights to the glaciers and Mt Cook.

Walking on the glaciers is an exciting experience. Only two companies are licensed to take tourists on glacier walks. Both companies offer half day and full day trips on the ice. Heli hiking involves a scenic ride on a helicopter to higher levels of the glacier and then a couple of hours exploring ice caves and seracs or pinnacles found in glacial crevasses. There are also day-long ice-climbing instructional courses offered by operators.

LooknbookNZ can arrange your Franz Josef accommodation and Franz Josef activities bookings and allow you and your family/friends to have a spectacular time on Franz Josef Glacier.