Wandering Around: Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers

January 10-12, 2016

We had been told and had read that the most spectacular scenery in New Zealand was on the South Island, specifically around Queenstown. It is the hub of outdoor activities in New Zealand and is famous for its beautiful setting on a lake with mountains all around, and for its bungee jumping, skydiving, hiking (called tramping in NZ), jetboating, hang gliding, etc. However, our route to Queenstown took us first along the South Island's west coast, then inland past Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers, both reputedly worth a look, and finally to Queenstown. From there we could access both Milford and Doubtful Sounds, widely regarded as among the most spectacular land and seascapes in NZ.

It was a full day's drive from Dawn's, in Mapua, near Nelson, down the west coast (covered in the next post) and then to our first stop: the town of Fox Glacier. The motel was adequate--really more than adequate, but at $150 per night, a bit steep for us. We tried hiking to the Franz Joseph glacier, but when we arrived, the parking lot was full, and it was raining. We donned our waterproof jackets and headed out anyway. We hiked for a while through a tropical rainforest, but then Leah's knee complained, and we returned to the car. Not too much of a loss, though, as the hike would have ended at the toe (or the wall) of the glacier. To walk on the glacier, itself, you had to hire a helicopter, which landed you on top of the glacier, after which you went on a 2-hour guided walk. Total cost was about $300 US per person. That would have been exciting, but, as we discovered elsewhere in New Zealand, Fox and Franz Joseph glaciers, had been (in our view) over-commercialized: heli-walking on glaciers, jetboating through deep, narrow canyons, ziplining above the forests--not quiet walks in wilderness. I actually did do a short hike to the toe of Fox Glacier--and it was lovely, no doubt about it. However, helicopters flew over every 5-10 minutes.