Westland National Park

Best Way to Explore

Flightseeing

Whether you choose to fly by helicopter or small fixed-wing plane, a flight to the glacier will be a highlight. Helicopters do flights as short as 10 minutes for a quick aerial tour, or up to three-hour trips where you will get two hours on an upper ice field. Fixed-wing planes can also give you a circuit trip of Mt. Cook. These flights are all weather dependent, with cloud, rain or high winds affecting availability.

Hiking

With its abundance of beautiful rain forest and rugged braided rivers this is a great area to go hiking. There are a number of walks out of Franz Josef and Fox areas and Okarito, but also further south around Lake Moeraki. These vary from hour-long bushwalks to multiday hikes in the high country. Experience is essential in outback areas, and it's important to leave intentions at the local DOC office before heading off. Appropriate gear and safety equipment is also essential.

Ice-Walking

Most visitors to the park come to see and experience the glaciers. But they are not as accessible as you might imagine. The terminal face of both glaciers is constantly breaking up, with large house-sized chunks of ice falling without warning. There is walking access to within a few hundred meters of each, although this access may be closed at any time due to flooding, rockfalls or other hazards. To experience the glacier fully you need to join a guided ice-walk or heli-hike.

Indoor Fun

In a high rainfall area like this there are days when you will not be able to see the glaciers or the bush, despite your best intentions. Back in Franz Josef village you can visit the DOC Centre, the Hukawai Glacier Centre or watch the Flowing West movie to see what you are missing. Then head to the hot pools where you relax no matter how hard it is raining.

Eco-Stays

Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge is set at the outlet end of Lake Moeraki, 90 km (56 mi) south of Fox Glacier. This long-standing eco-lodge comes with a good pedigree, as the owners also own the Arthur's Pass Wilderness Lodge on the eastern side of the main divide at Arthur's Pass. Built into the remains of the old road-building camp built for workers pushing the road through to Haast in the 1960s, it offers guests a true eco-stay. Lodge power is generated by their own hydro-station built on the outlet from the lake. It's a 20-minute walk to Monro Beach (there's no road) where fur seals and little Fiordland crested penguins are the only residents. There are many other walks, kayaking, bird-watching, and photography opportunities here so book a few nights so you're not shortchanged for time.