West Coast
Hokitika
Franz Josef
Glacier Country Franz Josef Five kilometres from Franz Josef Village, one of the most accessible glaciers in the world rumbles. A one-and-a-half hour walk from the Franz Josef car park will get you within 75m of its grand glacial face.
Fox
Glacier
Fox Glacier For dazzling views of Fox Glacier, follow the Fox Glacier South Side Walk, a two-hour trail tracing the south bank of the Fox River through ancient podocarp rainforest to a stunning viewpoint.
Aoraki
Scenic Flights Soar over great
Mt Cook
masses of ice by helicopter or plane. Helicopters are favoured for snow landings whereas scenic flights cover a whopping 200km of pristine alpine scenery. Awardwinning Heli Hike Fox Glacier fly over astonishing terrain before depositing you right there on the glacier.
Heli-hiking Guided heli-hiking tours to both glaciers forge a route through, up and over the ice. Crawl through ice caves and arches and stride over untouched snow.
Haast
TOP TIP: If it’s epic photos you’re after, the water is most mirror-like in the morning.
White-water rafting In Franz Josef, rafting experiences vary from gentle Grade 2 thrills to an extreme Grade 5 adventure. Quad biking Bounce along rainforest tracks, riverbanks and grassland with Franz Josef glacier as your backdrop. Kayak on Lake Mapourika Hit the water and paddle beside your guide to places enveloped by snow-iced mountain tops and Jurassic rainforest. Gain local insight into the region, its glaciers and terrain.
LEFT: Lake Matheson TOP LEFT: White heron / kōtuku TOP: Guides tour, Franz Josef Glacier ALL IMAGES: © Adobe Stock
See Map Section - pages 109 to 122
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