Franz Josef Glacier: every way to see the ice

Franz Josef Glacier is a river of ice that spills out of the Southern Alps and ends in rainforest close to sea level.⁶ That is the unusual part of the picture. Some glaciers end in bare rock and cold air, but this one finishes among tree ferns, and that contrast defines the valley. The Māori name for the glacier, Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere, belongs to the ice itself.

The terminal face, where the ice stops, lies less than 300 metres above sea level and is just one of three that come this close to a coastline.¹ The village that serves the valley sits only a few kilometres from the ice, at the foot of a World Heritage area.⁷ Distance helps here: a visit can be as short as an hour from the main street, with no overnight gear and no long drive.

The park itself was established in 1960 and forms part of the Te Wāhipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area.^8,9 In the last ice age the glacier reached far further, as a huge ice sheet that ran beyond today's coastline.¹⁰ Standing in the valley, you are looking at what is left of that sheet, and the bare rock and young forest around you show how far it has drawn back.

From the village you drive south over the Waiho River bridge and turn left after the bridge onto the Franz Josef Glacier Access Road.¹¹ The surface is unsealed, but it is suitable for cars, campervans and buses.³ The road runs 4 km to a car park at its end, and most of the walking tracks start there.² Keep left and keep your speed down, as the Department of Conservation asks.

Parking at the glacier is paid. The Department of Conservation charges NZ$2.50 per half hour or NZ$20 a day, and parking is free if you arrive and leave within 10 minutes.¹² The machines take cards and not cash.²² There are flush toilets at the car park and none further up the valley, so use them before you set off.¹³ No rubbish bins are provided in the valley, so carry out whatever you bring in.²³

If you prefer not to drive, Te Ara a Waiau is a walkway and cycleway that runs from the township to the glacier car park, 8.7 km return, and the list gives 2 hr on foot or 1 hr by mountain bike.²⁴ That suits a morning when the weather is settled and you want the valley to yourself. Take warm clothing either way, since a cold down-draft off the glacier is normal in the valley.²⁵

The snowfields that feed the glacier cannot be seen from the valley floor at all. To view the massive snowfields of the upper neve, you need a flight in a helicopter or a ski plane.⁴¹ That is the plain reason people pay for a flight: the view from the car park shows the tongue of the glacier, while the flight shows where the ice is born, and the views feel like different places.

Hikers get a high view without a flight on the Alex Knob Track. It is 17.2 km return, takes 8 hr and is graded advanced, yet the Department of Conservation says it gives the best views of the glacier without taking a helicopter flight.^42,21 It starts 2 km along the access road, and in summer you should leave early to beat afternoon cloud.^26,43 The first lookout, the Rata lookout, takes about 2 hours.⁴⁴

Roberts Point Track is shorter on paper but serious on the ground. It is 12.3 km return, takes 5 hr 20 min return and is graded an advanced tramping track.⁴⁵ It is best attempted in fine weather, and the point is a lookout only, with no access onto the glacier.^46,31 Several people have lost their lives on this hike, so treat it as a mountain walk and tell someone your plan.⁴⁷

Start with the time you have. If you have an hour, take Sentinel Rock Walk and read the panels.^4,5 With a free morning, add the Douglas Walk, which is 3.9 km return, takes 1 hr and passes Peters Pool and the historic Douglas Bridge.^28,29 A guided walk fills a morning, and a flight or a heli-hike can decide the rest of the day around the weather.

Then think about weather. Heavy rain can arrive at any time of year, with up to 5 m falling annually, so pack for wet.⁵³ Flights and heli-hikes depend on the sky, and the listings say so. This site's quad bike tour is a different kind of day: it runs for 2 hours through the park's rainforest and rivers and is listed from $104 per person.

Finally, think about who is with you. Some family activities are age restricted, so check each operator before you book.⁵⁴ The Peters Pool Walk is accessible and the glacier viewpoint walk suits children, while the heli-hike lists a minimum age of 10 for the shorter trip.^19,20 Match the plan to the slowest member of the group, and the day tends to go well.