The hospitable town of Franz Josef serves the glacier of an equivalent name. Stay here while you explore this spectacular World Heritage Area.
Franz Josef Glacier (Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere) was explored by local iwi and in 1865 by geologist Julius von Haast, who named it after the Austrian emperor. The glacier is five kilometres from the town of an equivalent name, and a 1.5 hour walk will take you to within 750m of its terminal face.
If you would like to truly make contact with the glacier, take a heli-hike or a guided ice walk. Aerial sightseeing is an alternative choice .There's a range of natural attractions in close proximity to Franz Josef Glacier Village. Lose yourself within the rainforests, waterfalls, and lakes.
In the town, you’ll find many places to remain and eat, or relax at the Glacier Hot Pools(opens in new window) or explore the wildlife centre. At nearby Lake Mapourika, you'll take a kayak tour or rent a stand-up paddleboard.
Here are some facts to assist you get the picture: Over its 13 kilometre length, the Fox glacier plummets 2,600 metres from high within the Southern Alps. it's fed by four alpine glaciers that receive around 30 metres of snowfall annually . The snow is compacted at the highest of the glacier into blue ice many metres deep.
Shelving within the valley floor deep beneath the glacier causes cracking, upheaval and deep ravines within the glacier surface, creating a dramatic and potentially dangerous frozen landscape. Surface melting occurs throughout the lower altitudes, feeding the frigid rivers that effuse the rocky ravines and on through temperate rainforests to the Tasman Sea
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