The Glaciers

Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers

Things to do

The Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers are the West Coast’s major attractions and are easily accessible to those wishing to visit them. Both glaciers are suitable for families with children. However, care should be taken because of uneven ground. To get to the glaciers, you can either take the road from Christchurch via Arthurs Pass or from Queenstown over the southern Haast Pass. Please note that there may be some restrictions with campervans and you should check with the hire centres if visiting the glaciers. 

The Fox Glacier falls 2600 metres, is 13 kilometres long, 300 metres deep and only five kilometres from a town and that is why it is so accessible. It looks incredible. The glacier was named after William Fox, an early prime minister of New Zealand, after he visited the area in 1872. 

While visiting Fox Glacier, a side trip to Lake Matheson is worthwhile, especially if you have budding photographers in your family. The lake is famous for its reflections of Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman, New Zealand's highest peaks. You can also walk along a bush track that follows the lake edge.

Whether you are travelling in summer or winter, you can view seal colonies at Gillespies Beach and Waikowhai Bluff. 

The Franz Josef Glacier is approximately 7,000 years old, some 12 kilometres long and again is only 5 kilometres from a township. It was named by Julius von Haast, a geologist and explorer, in 1863. Franz Josef was the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. 

Things to do

South Westland Horse Treks www.horsetreknz.com, Waiho Flat Road, Franz Josef. Ph: 0800 187 357 or 03 752 0223. They provided guided tours for families with children eight years and over and they will go at a pace that suits your family’s abilities.

Across Country Bikes, Air Safaris Building, Main Road, Franz Josef

Freephone 0800 234 288 or +64 3 752 0123 www.acrosscountryquadbikes.co.nz

 

Glacier Country Lake Tours, 64 Cron Street, Franz Josef.

Freephone 0800 535 386 or +64 3 752 0244 www.laketours.co.nz

 

The Hukawai Glacier Experience and Indoor Ice Climbing Wall, Corner Cowan and Cron Streets, Franz Josef

Freephone 0800 485 292 or +64 3 752 0600 www.glaciercentre.co.nz

Doctor: (Based at Whataroa): +64 3 753 41 

Hokitika

The gold rush town of Hokitika lies on an exposed stretch of coast and is renowned for its range of crafts and artefacts made of local jade or greenstone. Each year, in March, the town hosts the unusual Wild Foods Festival. 

Karamea 

Karamea is a small dairy town some 100km north of Westport. Its national park, Kahurangi National Park, is home of the famous Heaphy Track. The landscape has impressive limestone caves and arches. There are four short walks in the Oparara Basin; Oparara Arch, Moria Gate Arch, Mirror Tarn and Crazy Paving and Box Canyon Caves.

Oparara Arch is a 45-minute return trip and is graded easy; the arch, which is 43 metres high and 219 metres long, is one of the largest in Australasia. However, as there are steps and mossy creeks along this path, it is not suitable for pushchairs. A one-hour return trip takes you to Moria Gate Arch, which spans the river for 43 metres, and is 19 metres high. Mirror Tarn is a 20-minute return trip and the Tarn provides wonderful reflections if the weather permits. Don't forget to bring your camera. The caves are only a ten-minute walk. Care should be taken when entering the Box Canyon Cave as the path descends down some steep steps to the cave floor. In this cave, look up at the ceiling and see if you can find fossils embedded in it. You will need good footwear and a torch.

Public access to the Honeycomb Hill Specially Protected Area is restricted to Department of Conservation (DOC)-approved guided tours only. To get to the Honeycomb Hill Caves, you will have to walk through virgin beech and podocarp forest. The bush is alive with birdlife including the great spotted kiwi, blue duck, kaka, New Zealand falcon, weka, kea, pigeon, robin, fantail, parakeet, paradise duck, and tomtit, just to name a few. The area is also the home of the short-tailed bat and the large carnivorous land snail. Please do not take these snails or their empty shells out of the bush as both are protected in New Zealand.

If your family loves mountain biking then K-Road in the Oparara Valley is the place for you. It is recommended that you do not take large motor homes or buses on McCallum's Mill Road - a narrow and winding gravel road. The old logging roads have now been made available to ride on and the track was officially opened in 2003 by Prime Minister the Rt Hon Helen Clark. The return trip is approximately 27km and is graded easy to medium. You will need to contact the Karamea Information and Resource Centre for track information, email: info@karameainfo.co.nz or phone 03 782 6652.

Another track in the Karamea region is the Fenian Track which is located along the Oparara River and includes the Tunnel and Miners’ Caves. A return trip takes approximately five hours. The grade of the track is easy to medium though families should take care when entering the caves. Helmet, torches and strong footwear is recommended.

Karamea Information and Resource Centre, Bridge Street, Karamea

Phone +64 3 782 6652 www.karameainfo.co.nz

For information about mountain-bike tracks in the area.