Fox Glacier

Fox Glacier village offers a quieter, more intimate atmosphere than its larger neighbor Franz Josef, making it ideal for travelers seeking fewer crowds. The township sits in Glacier Country on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, tucked into rainforest-clad foothills of the Southern Alps with stunning outlooks across surrounding farms. Visitors come for breathtaking views of New Zealand's two highest peaks, Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman, and to access the large icy glacier that shares its name.

Fox Glacier is accessed via State Highway 6. The drive from Franz Josef takes about 30 minutes, though the road crosses an entire mountain range and is extremely winding. From Queenstown allow 4.5 hours, Wanaka 3 hours, Haast 1.5 hours, Christchurch 5.5 hours, Greymouth 2.5 hours, and Hokitika 2 hours. Intercity buses operate through the Fox Glacier Guiding Building and can be booked online.

The village is small and all accommodation is within walking distance of the centre. Fox Tours and Shuttles (0800 369 287) will shuttle people to outlying destinations like Fox Glacier, Lake Matheson and Gillespies Beach for $12 and up.

The weather is very variable and prone to change, so bring layers. Mornings are generally clear, though clouds start to gather in the afternoon, which may lead to cancelled tours, slippery walks and poor photography conditions. Winter is drier and there might be fresh snow on the glacier, but the roads will be icier.

Fox Glacier Holiday Park on Kerr Road offers campsites, powered campervan sites, and bunkhouse cabins from $13-99. Ivory Towers Backpacker Lodge on Sullivan Road provides budget accommodation from $22-125 (lower prices for BBH members). Fox Glacier Lodge offers 8 ensuite rooms from $120-250 with continental breakfast included. The Heartland Hotel Fox Glacier provides free WiFi, free parking, and an onsite restaurant and bar.

Cafe Neve on State Highway 6 is one of the cheaper eateries with pizzas as daily specials. Cook Saddle Cafe and Saloon is decorated as a rustic cabin with old antiques, a fireplace, and serves both lunch and dinner. Lake Matheson Cafe offers coffee, breakfast during busy season, and dinner on blackboard menus with great views of Mt Cook and Mt Tasman (hours: Nov-Mar daily 7:30AM-late; Apr-Oct 8AM-4PM). The Last Kitchen on Sullivan Road is a pricier dinner option that gets quite busy.

Lake Matheson, a 5-minute drive from town, features a 4.4-km walk around the lake with beautiful reflections of Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman on its dark waters, formed during the last Ice Age retreat 14,000 years ago. The best light is at dawn, taking about 20 minutes to the first lookout. Gillespies Beach is an 11-km drive down an unsealed road through rimu rainforest leading to a black sand/quartz pebble beach on the Tasman Sea, with a rusted historic gold dredge near the entrance and a seal colony on Galway Beach (3-hour round-trip walk). Peak View Lookout offers the best view of the Southern Alps peaks from Cook Flat Rd.

Fox Glacier Guiding offers guided trips onto the glacier including the Fox Trot (half-day walk), Flying Fox (heli-hike), Nimble Fox (all-day walk), Fox Trail (Terminal Face walk), Fox It Up (ice-climbing adventure), and Chancellor Dome heli-treks ranging from $69-700. Fox & Franz Josef Heliservices operates from the Fox Glacier Guiding Building with 20-40 minute flights from $195-375. Skydive Fox Glacier offers tandem jumps from $225-500 depending on height and options, described as probably the best place in New Zealand to skydive.

The unguided walk to Fox Glacier is a free 1-2 hour round-trip trek starting 8 km from town centre, though the access road was closed due to landslide as of April 2019. The Copland Track to Welcome Flat hot pools is a 6-8 hour one-way tramp with transport available via Intercity. Chalet Lookout Walk is a 1 hour 15 minute round-trip with a stream crossing. Minnehaha Walk is a 20-minute round trip through rainforest 50m south of town, with glow-worms visible at night. Mount Fox Track is an 8-hour round trip on a steep marked route through alpine grasslands.

Some motels and hotels offer free WiFi, though others require payment. The village has limited connectivity options typical of remote West Coast locations.

Do not proceed past the barriers at the terminal face of the glacier, as the area is extremely dangerous. Two tourists were killed by falling ice after crossing the barriers in 2009. The track to the glacier can be cumbersome in places, requiring balance to scramble down slick rocks and across small streams. Be aware that sandflies are extremely numerous at Gillespies Beach, so bring insect repellent. Weather conditions change rapidly, so dress in layers and check conditions before heading out.

North on State Highway 6 to Franz Josef, the larger of the two West Coast glacier townships with more accommodation, restaurants, bars, and the new Glacier Hot Pools. South to Haast. Queenstown and Wanaka are accessible to the south, while Christchurch, Greymouth, and Hokitika are accessible to the north.