The best things to do in Franz Josef & the glacier country
The mighty glacier is the main draw, but there are other reasons I love Franz Josef. These are the attractions in the area I love the most.
In 1900, while exploring the West Coast, Charles Douglas was already thinking about over tourism.
“Let us keep a few spots in Westland uncontaminated by the ordinary tourist, the picnicker and the photographic fiend, some almost impassable place where what is inside can be left to the imagination…keep them for those who care to risk their necks and enjoy scenery in a state of nature.”
Unfortunately for Charlie, there was never going to be any stopping photographic fiends and ordinary tourists from visiting Franz Josef.
Women walking on the glacier in 1913 — photo via Maye Dunn
People have been flocking there since the late 1800s, to get a glimpse of the ice. It’s compelling, for good reason.
Usually, to see a glacier, you have to make it high into hostile alpine terrain, or into the depths of a place like Patagonia or Greenland. In Franz Josef, the glacier is visible is just a short walk from a tourist village right on the main highway through the region.
Franz Josef glacier in the 1950s — photo via Peter Righteous
If you’re lucky, Franz Josef glacier might be one of the best things you see in the South Island. If you’re unlucky, the West Coast will deliver be true to form and blanket the glacier in rain and clouds.
I’ll cross my fingers for you and hope you get good weather, because the mighty glacier truly is a sight to behold. The first time I drove up the narrow road to the carpark closest the glacier, I couldn’t believe the chunks of ice flowing down the river, nearly at the sea.
In more modern times — a view of Franz Josef glacier as I was doing the heli hike
I could feel the coolness of the air that rolled off the river of ice.
I almost certainly count as the “ordinary tourist, picnicker and the photographic fiend” Charlie Douglas was worried about. I’ve been drawn back to Franz Josef time and again to get a look at the great river of ice from helicopter, hiking trails, and every viewpoint I can reach.
It’s spectacular.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. I may make a small commission should you book through those links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support.
The best things to do in Franz Josef, Waiau
Several decades ago, visitors could just stroll up onto the glacier. Now, things are a little more complicated. You can still see it, but to walk on it you have to get in a helicopter and fly.
It’s worth visiting Franz Josef even if you don’t go on a heli hike. The viewpoints are stunning, and there are other lovely walks in the area, and the native bush, lakes, and coastline are all beautiful.
The view of Franz Josef from the Roberts Point lookout platform
Whether or not you decide to visit Franz Josef depends on a lot of things — whether you are up for a long drive along the West Coast, your idea of fun, your tolerance for rain.
I know some people think there isn’t much to do on the West Coast. It’s the most sparsely populated region in New Zealand, and outside of Franz Josef village, hardly a thriving tourist hub.
For me, that’s part of the charm. I love the wilderness, the rich forest that drips in bright green moss, the ink dark lakes that reflect the mountains, the beaches strewn with driftwood and frequented by Hector’s dolphins.
If you plan on visiting Franz Josef, these are the best things to do in glacier country.
Franz Josef heli hike
I treated myself to the Franz Josef heli hike one year on my birthday. It does come with a pretty hefty price tag, so this is definitely a bucket list type experience.
If it’s within your budget and the weather gods are on your side, I can definitely recommend this trip. The heli ride up the valley is short and sweet, and the hike is also pretty short (more of a slow amble across the ice), but standing on the glacier is pretty unbeatable.
You should keep your expectations in check; when they call it a ‘hike’ you don’t go that far or that fast. The group moves at the pace of the slowest person, which can be pretty slow when you have a bunch of somewhat unsporty people dressed up in crampons and other ice gear.
I did love it — walking across a glacier is incredible — but my honest opinion is that you can still appreciate the glacier without having to pay to do the heli hike (see the walks below).
The best option for your Franz Josef heli hike is Franz Josef Glacier Guides.
This business is owned by Ngai Tahu, the largest iwi (tribe) in the South Island. All profits from Ngāi Tahu Holdings go towards projects to support the iwi, which means you are helping to support the wellbeing of Maori communities by choosing Franz Josef Glacier Guides.
The business also supports native tree planting in the beautiful Okarito, which I gush about below.
Hikes to Franz Josef Glacier viewpoints
If you’re on a budget, don’t like helicopters, or don’t want to add to the carbon emissions driving the glacial retreat, there are some wonderful walking options around Franz Josef.
You can get some pretty spectacular views of the glacier from viewpoints in the area, with different levels of difficulty.
The Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere track for a 30 minute gentle walk to a viewing point of the glacier and valley. This is possibly the most disappointing view, as the glacier has shrunk far up the valley, but it’s still a lovely (but somewhat busy) walk.
Roberts Point Track is a longer and more challenging hike that crosses swing bridges and rocky terrain. The end point is a wooden viewing platform which faces the glacier, giving you clear views up the valley. I went early in the morning and was the only one there, I loved it.
Alex Knob Hike is possibly the best option for viewing the glacier, as the trail is well maintained and passes three separate view points, so you can choose how far you would like to go.
Looking back down the valley on the Roberts Point Track — photo by Geoff Marks
Visit Okarito, the tiny coastal town
For me, Okarito has a special kind of beauty.
The small coastal town is about 25 minutes from Franz Josef, off the main highway. Only around 30 people live here year round. So it’s a bit of a detour to get there, which means it’s blissfully peaceful.
Okarito is home to a large, tranquil lagoon, which is in turn home to mystical white herons.
This stretch of coastal wilderness is rare in its beauty and intactness.
KAYAK THE LAGOON
Okarito Kayaks is a small, family run business that offers both freedom kayak rentals and guided kayak tours.
WALKING
There is a beautiful walk along the coast to Three Mile Lagoon, which feels incredibly isolated — I found it almost eerie, but in a beautiful way, if that makes sense. Almost like catching nature off guard.
You can walk back along the beach at low tide. In the evening, you might spot Hector’s dolphins in the waves. I saw one foraging along the coast in the setting sunlight, it was wonderful.
Soak in the Waiho Hot Tubs
Waiho Hot Tubs are more or less in the middle of town, but it doesn’t feel that way — the tubs are surrounded by native forest, making it feel like forest bathing.
The Waiho River flows from Franz Josef Glacier to the ocean. The name Waiho loosely means smokey waters, so the name Waiho Hot Tubs also references this, capturing the image of the steam rising from the hot tubs.
Go and take a look at the local petrol station — Franz Josef’s ticking time bomb
This is more of a thing to know rather than a thing to do, but Franz Josef is one of the most dangerous towns in New Zealand. Why? It sits right on top of the Alpine Fault Line.
And Glacier Motors’ two 50,000-litre petroleum tanks sit right on the spot where the thrusting tectonic plates meet the Earth’s surface.
If you look closely, you can see a subtle hump in the petrol station’s pavement. That’s the Alpine Fault line, the longest natural straight line on Earth.
The Fault literally divides the town, running through the police station and one of the motels as well as the petrol station.
An earthquake along this fault line would force the petrol tanks to burst out of the ground and rupture, spilling 100,000 litres of fuel down the road, through the drains of the town, drenching everything in its path. And if that sparks? Ka boom.
The most terrifying part of all of this — a magnitude 8 earthquake could happen at any second.
Records taken from sediment samples in the South Island clearly show the Alpine Fault earthquakes are triggered roughly every 300 years, a pattern scientists have traced back for around 8000 years.
The last earthquake was in 1717. Tick, tock.
What this means is that the odds of a major quake caused by an Alpine Fault rupture are 75% in the next 50 years, and an 82% chance it will be over eight on the Richter scale. There’s even a name for it — the AF8.
FURTHER READING
If you want to read more in depth about this, I highly recommend checking out Fault Lines. It’s fascinating and frightening beyond belief, knowing that the biggest earthquake in New Zealand’s recorded history could be right around the corner.
WHERE TO STAY IN FRANZ JOSEF
FEATURED STAY
Rainforest Retreat
Sleep in a rainforest setting.
Budget
The Glow Worm Hostel is very sweet, and locally owned. It’s a great option for budget travellers.
Camping
I stayed at the Orange Sheep Campervan Park, tucked into lush native bush. It’s ideal for anyone travelling in a campervan, with good facilities and a location right in the middle of town.
EXPLORE MORE OF GLACIER COUNTRY
Franz Josef is twinned with Fox Glacier, a second glacier and small town of the same name around 30 minutes south.
Fox Glacier is an equally epic glacier but is slightly less popular, for some reason. It might be that it’s not as easy to see Fox Glacier — you can spot it from the road, but there is only one easy walking trail to a viewpoint of Fox.
The Mount Fox route is an epic hike with incredible views of Fox Glacier, but it’s a tough trek if you’re a keen hiker. And, you need a pretty good weather window, which can be hard to come by in the rainforesty glacier country.
If you’re heading south through Haast (or north from that direction) you should absolutely stop by Lake Matheson — it’s one of my favourite short walks in all of New Zealand.
ITINERARIES THAT PASS THROUGH FRANZ JOSEF
Franz Josef and glacier country is an essential stop on a longer South Island road trip. If you only have a short time in New Zealand, it might not be worth the trek (you can also see glaciers at Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park) but if you are up for an adventure, I encourage you to visit.
Thanks for reading this far — I hope my recommendations for visiting Franz Josef have been helpful.
If you’re in the planning stage of your trip, you might also find these articles useful:
AUTHOR BIO
I’m a freelance travel writer from New Zealand with bylines in National Geographic Travel, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and more.
I’ve travelled up and down beautiful Aotearoa and I love sharing my recommendations for the best places to visit in New Zealand.
