Visit the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand

(Last Updated On: December 11, 2019)

The West Coast of New Zealand contains over 3,000 glaciers. It is often called the “Wild West Coast.” due to its massive rainforests, rivers, and glaciers. This area is the perfect escape on any New Zealand Road Trip from the bustling cities and contains some amazing hikes. Opt to spend at least two nights in this area to soak up all of the sites. Make sure to visit the Franz Josef Glacier.

We opted to stay in Whataroa at an adorable Airbnb on a farm. This was much cheaper than staying in Franz Josef and our hosts, Marg and Andy, we amazing. It included breakfast and you also had a grill and kitchen available to use. I loved how clearly you could see the night sky. Although it would have been more convenient to stay in Franz Josef, I really enjoyed our Airbnb.

Where We Stayed

We opted to stay in Whataroa at an adorable Airbnb on a farm. This was much cheaper than staying in Franz Josef and our hosts, Marg and Andy, we amazing. It included breakfast and you also had a grill and kitchen available to use. I loved how clearly you could see the night sky. Although it would have been more convenient to stay in Franz Josef, I really enjoyed our Airbnb. 

The West Coast of New Zealand contains over 3,000 glaciers. Make sure you do not miss a visit to the Franz Josef Glacier.

Transportation

In order to get around the Franz Josef area, you will need a car or hire a driver. The views are gorgeous and well worth the drive. Once in Franz Josef, everything is close to each other in town and very walkable.  

Heli-Hike

The West Coast of New Zealand contains over 3,000 glaciers. Make sure you do not miss a visit to the Franz Josef Glacier.

One must do in New Zealand when on the West Coast is a heli-hike. A helicopter takes you onto one of the glaciers and you get to spend a couple of hours hiking around the glacier. In order to visit the Franz Josef Glacier, we opted to book a heli-hike on BookMe New Zealand with the Helicopter Line Tours. Booking through BookMe New Zealand saved us a ton of money. Our tour company took us to many places on top of the glacier. Other tour companies take you further down into the glacier. If you have a preference, make sure you book with the right tour company!

The heli-hike takes several hours. You must report to the facility about an hour before you get on your actual flight. Once at the facility, you check-in at the desk and then they send you to a waiting area while they wait for everyone to check-in. After everyone is accounted for, they prep you on safety while in the helicopter and on the glacier. The company provides you with socks, hiking boots, crampons (for walking on the ice), snow pants, and a jacket. You must wear leggings or some sort of athletic pants. Jeans are not allowed because they soak in the moisture. It is also advised to have a complex of warm base layers underneath the jacket. Once everyone is geared up, each person is weighed, assigned their group, and given their spot in the helicopter. 

The West Coast of New Zealand contains over 3,000 glaciers. Make sure you do not miss a visit to the Franz Josef Glacier.

Hiking on the Glacier

From the facility, it was a short walk out to the helicopters, where everyone was quickly loaded onto. My husband and I were lucky enough to get the coveted front row spot in the helicopter. The views coming into the glacier were some of the most beautiful and picturesque views I have ever seen. It was crazy to see a glacier just appear out of nowhere. 

Following out landing on the glacier, we were given a talk about hiking on the glacier and how to put on the crampons. They also handed out walking poles to everyone. Once everyone was geared up to go, it was time to hike around the ice. Throughout the hike, we were taken to many spots all of the glaciers. We got to go in some ice caves, go down a natural ice slide, and climb through some holes. After a couple of hours of hiking around, we were taken back to the base for the helicopter to pick us up. 

The West Coast of New Zealand contains over 3,000 glaciers. Make sure you do not miss a visit to the Franz Josef Glacier.

Overall, I felt that the heli-hike was an amazing experience. Our guides were very professional and gave us great information. They were very helpful and I felt at ease walking around the glacier with them. If it is in your budget, I recommend doing a heli-hike at least once. After all, how many people can say they hiked around a glacier?

Lunchtime

The West Coast of New Zealand contains over 3,000 glaciers. Make sure you do not miss a visit to the Franz Josef Glacier.

We really worked up an appetite hiking around the glacier. Franz Josef is a very tiny town, so there are not a ton of food options. We ended up eating at Snakebite Brewery. This brewery actually serves a variety of Asian food as well as some delicious brews. I opted for the chicken pad see ew and it was the perfect choice after hiking around. 

Franz Josef Glacier Hot Pools

After fueling up, we headed over to visit the Franz Josef Glacier Hot Pools. These hot pools are the perfect place to relax and rest after a day hiking. We bought our tickets on BookMe New Zealand, so they were cheaper than at the door price. You can also opt to reserve one of their private pools at a higher cost. If possible, make sure to bring your own towels because there is a change to rent them once at the hot pools. 

Once inside the spa area, there are locker rooms for both men and women. Inside the locker rooms are showers, lockers (extra cost for ones that lock), and a changing area. There was also a few dryers to dry your swimsuit at the end of the visit. Outside of the locker room area were three different pools you can rotate between. They ranged from 36 to 40 degrees Celsius. Visitors can stay in each pool for as long as they want. There are also cubbies to keep your stuff by the pools. 

The West Coast of New Zealand contains over 3,000 glaciers. Make sure you do not miss a visit to the Franz Josef Glacier.

Franz Josef and the Wild West coast makes for a fabulous stop on any New Zealand road trip. This area had some of the most gorgeous scenery I saw in New Zealand. It is nice to get away from the cities for a bit and spend some time in nature. 

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Vanessa Shields
4 years ago

Wow, what an awesome post! I have never heard of heli-hiking but I so want to do it know after reading this! It looks like such an adventure and very beautiful landscapes!

Kay
Kay
4 years ago

Every since visiting Iceland and Greenland, I’m OBSESSED with glaciers!! I hadn’t heard of this hike before, but now I’m gonna start planning a trip!

sana
4 years ago

Such beautiful pictures. I feel like booking the tickets right away! I want to do the heli hike someday ..

Lauriane
3 years ago

We have to add this destination to our next stop – the Heli hike sounds awwwesome !! You have pretty cool photos and you look like real adventures :).

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