Feel the crunch of ice beneath your feet, as you ease your way through ancient ice tunnels.
New Zealand has nearly 3,000 stunning glaciers dating back thousands of years. Set among emerald rainforests and towering mountain ranges, they carve out valleys and create landforms that you can explore all year round. Walk them. Climb them. Or simply fly by them.
Nestled in the Aoraki/Mount Cook national park, the Haupapa/Tasman Glacier is the longest and largest of its type in New Zealand. Choose an option to rival your sense of adventure: heli-hiking, climbing, skiing, or boating on the lake surrounded by gigantic icebergs. The walk between Blue Lakes and Tasman Glacier is one of the most scenic short walks in all of Aotearoa.
Both Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier run down from the Southern Alps and flow almost to sea level. Fox is longer, while Franz Josef is steeper. You can follow the easy walking tracks up to the terminus of either glacier for a close-up view, or, hike through the bush to a viewing point. If actually touching the ice is on your bucket list, a guided tour with all equipment included will get you up onto the glacier face itself.
For a spectacular glacier landing, book a helicopter ride from Queenstown(opens in new window) with Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopter(opens in new window). This 50-minute flight above white-covered mountains will take you over the Queenstown basin, Paradise Valley and Mt Aspiring National Park.
The Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers are a 3-hour drive from Wānaka or 4-hour drive from Queenstown. But if you’d rather sit back and relax, climb aboard the TranzAlpine from Christchurch to Greymouth instead. Passing the peaks of the Southern Alps, this an unforgettable journey from the east to west coast of the South Island. Because the Tasman Glacier lies on the opposite side of the Southern Alps to Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, the easiest way to get there is a 4.5-hour drive from Christchurch.
