AngelaS

My Dh & I are planning to drive to see the glaciers from Queenstown. (we looked into flying there but even at the closest town you have to drive 2 hours) We've read this is a very scenic drive also. After reading some posts on here I'm unsure of which glacier to visit. I've read that the Fox Glacier is more accessible than Franz Josef and that even doing a 1/2 day hike is quite strenuous.

Please advise if it is truly worth the 4 hour drive from Queenstown to see the glaciers. Also, which glacier is better to visit, and can anyone recommend a good tour? And, with the tour do you have to have your own hiking boots? (I read one post about smelly wet hiking boots & socks being given out!) Also any recommendations on decent place to stay in the area? Thanks! =)

Melnq8

Hi Angela -

The drive from Queenstown to the glaciers is closer to six hours (381 km from QT to Fox Glacier). The last time we drove it, it took us 7.5 hours with stops.

Fox and Franz Josef are about 40 minutes apart, and you'll reach Fox first coming from QT.

It's definitely a gorgeous drive, but the roads can be winding and slow going. There are many places to stop along the way to take photos and short walks (such a the Blue Pools, be sure to stop there).

I definitely think it's worth the drive, but only if you plan to spend at least one night there, two is even better.

I took a helihike at Fox Glacier a few years back and it was not difficult at all. The helicopter dropped us off on the glacier and we tromped around for awhile in our crampons. Not really a hike at all, more of a scenic plodding walk on top of a glacier.

I suspect that the glacier hikes that actually involve climbing the glacier are substantially more difficult.

You can access both glaciers in the same day and walk to the terminal face of both (I've done this in the same day). The walk to Franz Josef took us 1:20 return and was easy, the walk to Fox Glacier took us one hour return, but was more rocky and treacherous. The carparks of both are easily accessible.

The glaciers are ever changing though and it seems the walks are a bit different on every visit.

Regarding footwear - if you walk to the terminal face on your own, you just need a good pair of sturdy shoes.

On the glacier walk, we were given wool socks, boots and crampons. We had no issues with smelly wet boots. We went with Alpine Guides on their 2.5 hour helihike.

As far as where to stay, we enjoyed Matheson Motel in Fox Glacier, Bella Vista Motel in Franz Josef and Punga Grove in Franz Josef.

longhorn55

Ditto Melnq8's great info. The glaciers are definitely worth the time but do plan to stay a couple of nights. My sister did the helihike and her report was so glowing that we booked it ourselves the following year. However, it was cloudy both days were in at Franz Josef, so the helicopters could not fly. This is always a distinct possibility, so be prepared. We really wanted to go on the glacier, so we opted for the 1/2 day hike. It was fairly strenuous and we have done quite a bit of hiking. But it was a glorious experience!
If you do the hiking, you won't be able to wear your own boots because the crampons are fitted to the boots they have. I would have much preferred wearing my own boots, but it turned out OK. They were not wet and smelly.

nelsonian

Not sure if you read about this but a couple of weeks ago two Australian tourists (brothers) were killed at Fox Glacier when an ice shelf collapsed and fell on them. They had gone inside the barriers that had been set up to stop people going into dangerous areas. They wanted to get better photos. Their parents were watching.

Melnq8

The deaths at Fox Glacier were horrible and a pungent reminder of why the barriers are there in the first place. I was in the parking lot of one of the glaciers once when a huge piece of rock collapsed on a supposed safe area and I've seen and heard several large chunks of ice hit the water during my visits. This is not to alarm you Angela, just to remind you to take care.

Longhorn makes a good point about the weather. The West Coast is green for a reason - lots of rain. We visited the glaciers four times before we had nice enough weather to take a helihike. If you can spare two nights, you might be glad you did.

Melnq8

Make that poignent. I was having a senior moment.

Melnq8

No, I meant poignant (I think). I give up!

AngelaS

Thanks everyone - I really appreciate all the help in planning. It seems the heli-hike is an opportunity that cannot be missed, considering how far we're traveling (from the US). We have two nights to spare in our itinerary for the glaciers, if the first day is clear & we can do the heli-hike, great.

We have heard of the recent deaths on the glacier and it really is quite unfortunate.

Would you recommend one glacier over the other? Or are they both pretty similar? I'm leaning towards the Fox from what I've read.

stormbird

Hi Angela,

My DH and I did the half day hike to Franz Josef. At the time I wouldn't have said that I had any degree of fitness but coped very well and was ecstatic that I had done it.

Our guide was very mindful of we more 'mature' participants and took things quite easy.

It is just such a unique thing to do - I would recommend it and say have a go.

Like Mel, we too stayed at Punga Grove in Franz Josef and had a beautiful room and I had picked up a great rate on wotif.com - even though the deal was sold out on wotif, I emailed them direct and they matched it.

There are some wonderful restaurants in Franz Josef - Beeches - was particularly nice.

Melnq8

It's difficult to recommend one glacier over the other, as they're both remarkably similar. It really comes down to which village you'd prefer to stay in and/or which activities/walks you're interested in. Franz Josef is the bigger of the two, and has more restaurants, more lodging and a nice visitor's center. It also has a small grocery store, a petrol station, etc.

Fox is tiny, but has the basic services. I guess I prefer Fox as it's quieter and it seems that fewer buses stop there, but that's just a personal observation.

You can't go wrong with either.

If you're looking for an upscale place to stay in Fox, you might take a look at Te Weheka. I've not stayed there yet, but I'd like to.

http://www.weheka.co.nz/

mlgb

As an alternative to the west coast glaciers, there are also glaciers at Mt. Cook National Park, in fact you can do a glacier landing and/or Circle Tour (Mt. Cook Skiplanes). I did this on my first trip to NZ about 15 years ago and it was spectacular.

You can also take a zodiac on the lake at the base of Tasman Glacier, or just hike to the Tasman Glacier overlook (this is after a drive down a graded gravel road).

Just a thought since they are a bit easier to access from Queenstown.

http://www.mtcookskiplanes.com/scenicflights.htm

AngelaS

mlgb - thanks for the tip - I never really thought about the glaciers near Mt. Cook. Since this is closer to Queenstown this could definitely be an option (& save a lot of driving time). How would you compare Fox Glacier to the glaciers near Mt. Cook? Also, are there places to stay overnight near Mt. Cook?

mlgb

There is lots of lodging at Twizel and Tekapo and there is limited lodging closer to Mt. Cook at Glentanner. The YHA there is also quite good for an inexpensive choice(they do have private rooms).

You can see some of the hanging glaciers from inside the Hermitage at Mt. Cook park.

The West Coast glaciers allow you to get up close to the terminal face. The vegetation is also unusual, more of a rain forest type with ferns. If you want to do the trekking on glacier thing, this is where to do it.

In Mt Cook I think the glaciers now have lakes at the end, and the vegetation is more of the beech forest type. For the glacier flights, you land up high on the snowfield where it's easy to walk around.

They're both good in my opinion. You might want to look at the www.doc.govt.nz website for descriptions of the walks.