Fox & Franz Josef Glaciers

Witness the huge valleys of ice that extend below the snowline, almost to the sea. Here the ice age is still underway.

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The Fox & Franz Josef glaciers still flow almost all the way to sea level, making them more accessible than most and must-visit spectacles on New Zealand’s wild West Coast. An easy walk to the foot of Franz Josef Glacier along the river valley with steep sides bearing gigantic horizontal scars from when the glaciers have retreated and advanced over millennia. You will also take in the magnificent view of Fox Glacier from the road – the sheer enormity of both glaciers is very humbling.

Over its 13 kilometre length, the Fox glacier plummets 2,600 metres from high in the Southern Alps. It is fed by four alpine glaciers that receive around 30 metres of snowfall each year. The snow is compacted at the top of the glacier into blue ice hundreds of metres deep.