You’ll take a flight up to the top of the glacier and get to see the beauty of the surrounding mountains as the guide lets you explore the awe-inspiring formations. Take it Slow on a Franz Josef Glacier Walkįor those seeking the beauty of the glacier at a slower speed, try the two hour Guided Glacier Walk. The high you’ll feel as you reach the top of the blue ice will be just as thrilling as the jaw-dropping scenery around you. With all technical equipment and climbing gear provided, the Heli Ice Climb serves all skill levels with expert guides instructing you along the way. Once on the ice your guide will lead you to your climbing starting point, where your adventure begins.
#FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER NEW ZEALAND FULL#
You’ll begin with a scenic helicopter flight, surrounded in the full panoramic majesty of the glacier and nearby mountains. Offering some of the best glacier climbing in the world, this experience rewards you with unique views and an unbeatable sense of accomplishment.
Get your heart racing with an exciting Heli Ice Climb on Franz Josef. Become one with the landscape and explore these incredible rivers of ice. Located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park only 12 miles away from Fox Glacier, you can easily see the face of both glaciers on a quick road trip.īut you’re in New Zealand’s West Coast, where the scenery is as varied as the continuously changing glaciers. This also affords more opportunities to see extraordinary ice formations. Guided walks and hikes on the glacier are usually on pre-cut and predetermined paths, more suitable for beginners. With a length of 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) and a steeper drop from the Southern Alps, Franz Josef constantly shifts, create rippled ice formations and icy crevasses. Maori call the glacier Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere, meaning “The tears of Hine Hukatere.” It is named after Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria by German explorer Julius von Haast in 1865. The more popular of the two glaciers, Franz Josef draws around 250,000 visitors each year. A tour on one day may be completely different than a tour the next day.Īs you step through narrow ice caverns, a blue glow emanating from the icy depths, you’ll feel like you’re on an expedition in the Arctic. Fox Glacier, with its extremely varying conditions, offers more spontaneous hikes set by your guide as you make your way. One of the biggest differences between Fox Glacier and Franz Josef is in how they are guided. Once you land your guide will fit you with crampons, spiked footwear used for secure mobility on the ice. Explore the Glacier on a Heli HikeĬombine the thrills of soaring high above the ice and walking the spectacular glacier formations on a Heli Hike on Fox Glacier.įlying in by helicopter allows you access to remote parts of the glacier where its dynamic forces work hardest and create stunning ice caves and arches. Come across fantastic ice boulders and if you’re lucky, you might witness extraordinary ice collapses. Walk along the flowing Fox River, emerging from the ice, as your expert guide brings the dynamic terrain to life with their informative commentary.
This moderate trail is the perfect way to get closer to the glacier than any unguided walkers without leaving your footprints on the ice. Venture through the pristine Fox Valley toward the face of the glacier on a terminal face walk. Visitors can walk close to the face of Fox Glacier, but a guided tour is where the real adventure lies. With delightful cafes, restaurants and glow worm caves just a short walk from the town center, this cozy township will warm you up with its genuine Kiwi hospitality. The Fox Glacier township, “Weheka,” lies 4 miles from the glacier with a population between 300 – 400 residents. Yet these changeable conditions can present breathtaking surprises along the way. Guided tours are a must to get on the ice due to these unstable conditions.
#FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER NEW ZEALAND CRACK#
However, shelving in the valley deep beneath the glacier causes the ice to crack and slide, constantly changing the face of the glacier along with surface melting. Still flowing almost to sea level, the front of the glacier, known as the terminal face, rises at a slow incline, making valley walks and ice hikes fairly easy. Its official name is Fox Glacier / Te Moeka o Tuawe, incorporating its original Maori name.
The glacier was named after one of New Zealand’s Prime Ministers, Sir William Fox. During the high tourist season it sees about 1000 people daily. With gorgeous ice caves and dappled arches, Fox Glacier is one of the most accessible glaciers in the world. Fox Glacier is a 13 kilometer long (8.1 mi) glacier, the longest of New Zealand’s West Coast glaciers, located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park.
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