Franz Josef

Located in the Westland National Park, Franz Josef and Fox glaciers offer some of New Zealand’s most unique and stunning scenery. Both of these towns are located just 5km from each glacier and just 6km from the seacoast, a situation found nowhere else in the world.

The town itself is stunning in its simplicity, located next to the Westland National Park, and the surrounding landscape offers plenty of activities. The glaciers themselves are some of the most easily accessible in the world – a short walk from the car park will take you to the terminal face of either glacier.

The glaciers can be accessed in a number of ways – a half day or full day walk, where you are given speciality equipment and guided to some incredible sights – sheets of ice, waterfalls, ice caves among others. Another amazing option for those with a higher budget is a heli hike, where a short helicopter flight will take you to the head of the glacier, where you can walk in fresh powder snow before hiking on the ice.

Other activities in the region include skydiving over the Southern Alps, kayaking on crystal clear lakes – in the right conditions, the reflections are absolutely incredible – or hiking into the mountain huts.