New Zealand · West Coast
Franz Josef
A glacier that pours out of the Southern Alps into temperate rainforest, a short drive from the village where you sleep.
Franz Josef is a small village on South Island's West Coast, a few kilometres below Franz Josef Glacier, Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere, which falls from the Southern Alps toward temperate rainforest barely above sea level. The ice has retreated a long way in recent decades, so today you see it from the valley floor or reach it by helicopter. Around it lie rainforest tracks, glacier-fed rivers, a quiet lagoon at Okarito, and Fox Glacier half an hour south.
Suggested stay
1–3 days
Language
English, Māori
Currency
NZD
Timezone
NZST (UTC+13)
Why you'll love Franz Josef
Ice meets rainforest Franz Josef Glacier descends out of the Southern Alps into a valley of ferns and podocarp forest, a pairing found in very few places on earth
Heli-hikes and snow landings A helicopter is now the only way onto the ice, and the flight over the neve toward Aoraki/Mount Cook is a highlight in itself
Tracks in the valley From the short Sentinel Rock walk to the long Roberts Point and Alex Knob climbs, the national park starts at the village edge
Wild West Coast Kiwi, white herons at Okarito, reflection lakes and glacier rivers fill the days when the cloud sits low
Best time to visit
Jan-Feb
15-15° days
43.387° S, 170.182° E
UTC+13 · Pacific/Auckland
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Weather & when to go to Franz Josef
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Jan-Feb
Hiking prime Jan-Feb
Activity seasons none fair good prime
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Franz Josef
It is one of the wettest corners of New Zealand and rain or low cloud can ground flights in any month, so leave a spare day. July and August are the coldest, shortest days, and rain-driven slips or floods occasionally close State Highway 6.
Top things to do in Franz Josef
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Franz Josef Glacier - heli-hike on the ice
adventure 👍 PopularSince the glacier's retreat made the terminal too unstable to climb, walking on the ice means a helicopter drop onto the upper glacier with a guide, crampons and a few hours among blue ice caves, crevasses and pinnacles. Flights depend on the weather, so book early in your stay.
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Franz Josef Glacier Valley Walk - up the Waiho to the viewpoint
hiking scenic 👍 PopularAn easy walk up the rubble-strewn Waiho River valley, past waterfalls spilling off sheer rock walls, to a viewpoint looking up at the glacier's face. The ice now ends well back from where it did a generation ago, and signs along the way mark how far it has retreated.
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Southern Alps scenic flight - snow landing on the neve
scenic adventure ⭐ Highly recommendedHelicopters and ski-planes fly up over Franz Josef and Fox glaciers to land on the snowfields at their heads, and longer flights swing past Aoraki/Mount Cook and the Tasman Glacier on the far side of the divide. On a clear day it is the best view in the country.
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Roberts Point Track - swingbridges to a glacier lookout
hiking ⭐ Highly recommendedThe best of the longer walks: a rough, rooty track that crosses swingbridges over side streams and climbs through rainforest along the valley wall to a lookout high above the glacier. Allow most of a day and expect slippery rock after rain.
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Alex Knob Track - the full-day climb
hikingA steep, sustained climb from the valley road through rainforest and subalpine scrub to a summit looking down on the glacier and out to the Tasman Sea. It is a long day with a big height gain, and only worth it if the tops are clear.
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Sentinel Rock and Peters Pool - short valley walks
scenic hikingTwo short walks off the glacier access road. Sentinel Rock is a quick climb to a knoll with a view up the valley to the ice; Peters Pool is a small kettle lake left by the retreating glacier, which reflects the valley on a still morning.
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Glacier Hot Pools - soak in the rainforest
wellnessHot pools set among ferns and trees at the edge of the village, the standard way to finish a wet day or a long walk. Especially good in the evening, with rain on the canopy.
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Rowi kiwi - see the rarest kiwi
nature wildlifeThe rowi lives only in the Okarito forest just north of the village, and eggs are raised in captivity to boost the wild population. A kiwi house and hatchery in the village is the most reliable way to see one; guided night walks at Okarito offer the harder, wild version.
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Lake Mapourika - paddle the mirror lake
scenic nature wildlifeThe largest lake in the park, a few minutes north of the village, is dark with rainforest tannins and glassy early in the day, reflecting the Southern Alps behind. Kayaking on it is a good calm-weather alternative when flights are grounded by wind.
Best areas to stay in Franz Josef
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Franz Josef village
First-time visitors $$Compact glacier village in the rainforest
Explore hotels in Franz Josef village →
Fox Glacier
Quieter base $$Quieter twin village to the south
Explore hotels in Fox Glacier →
Okarito
Nature lovers $Tiny lagoon settlement by the sea
Explore hotels in Okarito →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Franz Josef
Getting to & around Franz Josef
Getting there
Most visitors drive State Highway 6, the West Coast road; the nearest airport is Hokitika, about two hours north
Flight
Hokitika Airport (HKK)
Hokitika has domestic flights from Christchurch; pick up a hire car and drive about two hours south on State Highway 6, or connect with the coach that runs down the coast.
Drive
Part of the classic West Coast road trip: north from Wanaka and Queenstown over the Haast Pass, or south from Greymouth and Hokitika
Coach
Franz Josef village
Long-distance coaches running the West Coast between Greymouth and Queenstown stop in the village, and connect at Greymouth with the TranzAlpine train from Christchurch
Getting around
Car
The practical way to reach the glacier valley car park, Lake Matheson, Okarito and the lakes along the highway
TBC
Shuttle
Local shuttles run from the village to the glacier valley car park for walkers without a car
TBC
Walking
The village is tiny, and a walking and cycling track links it to the glacier valley for those with time
Free
Day trips from Franz Josef
Fox Glacier and Lake Matheson
Half dayGlacier and reflection lake
Fox Glacier, Te Moeka o Tuawe, is Franz Josef's longer twin, also much retreated. Just west of its village, the easy loop around Lake Matheson is famous for mirror reflections of Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman on a still, clear morning.
Getting there
car
About 30 minutes south by car on State Highway 6
Okarito
Half dayCoastal lagoon village
A former gold rush town on the edge of New Zealand's largest unmodified coastal wetland. Paddle the lagoon among wading birds, walk the Okarito Trig track for views of the Alps above the coast, or join a night walk looking for the rowi kiwi.
Getting there
car
About 30 minutes north by car, the last stretch on a side road to the coast
Waitangiroto white heron colony
Half daySeasonal heron colony
New Zealand's only breeding colony of kotuku, the white heron, nests in the trees beside the Waitangiroto River, sharing it with royal spoonbills. Tours from Whataroa run only in the southern summer breeding season, reaching a hide by boat and a short boardwalk.
Getting there
car | tour
About 30 minutes north by car to Whataroa, then a jet boat tour down the river
Gillespies Beach
Half dayWild beach and seal walk
A remote, driftwood-strewn beach below the Southern Alps, with old gold-mining relics nearby and a longer walk along the coast and through a short tunnel to a fur seal colony.
Getting there
car
About an hour by car via Fox Glacier, the last part on a gravel road
A little history of Franz Josef
In Ngai Tahu tradition the glacier is Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere, the frozen tears of Hine Hukatere, who wept for her lover after he fell to his death in the mountains. The geologist Julius von Haast named it in 1865 after the Austrian emperor, as gold rushes drew thousands to the West Coast and briefly turned nearby Okarito into a boom town.
The glacier advanced and retreated through the 20th century, drawing visitors to walk on its face, and the park around it became part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area in 1990. Since the late 2000s it has retreated rapidly, ending guided walks from the valley floor and leaving the helicopter as the only way onto the ice. The Alpine Fault runs right through the village, and the braided Waiho River beside it regularly threatens floods.
Julius von Haast names the glacier after Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria
The West Coast gold rush reaches Okarito, which briefly becomes one of the busiest towns on the coast
Westland National Park is established, protecting the glaciers and the forest below them
The park becomes part of the Te Wahipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area
Floods wash out the State Highway 6 bridge over the Waiho River, cutting the coast road until it is rebuilt
Know before you go
Payment
Cards everywhere
English
Everywhere
Wifi
Workable
Power
Type I
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+64
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
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FAQs about Franz Josef
▸ When is the best time to visit Franz Josef?
January and February are the best months, with the longest days and the warmest weather for walking. Rain is possible in any month here, so allow a spare day for flights. July and August are the coldest and darkest, and the hardest months for a visit.
▸ Can you walk on Franz Josef Glacier?
Only by helicopter. The glacier has retreated so far, and its lower face become so unstable, that guided walks from the valley floor stopped years ago. A heli-hike lands you on the upper ice with a guide; without one, the valley walk takes you to a viewpoint below the face.
▸ Franz Josef or Fox Glacier?
Both are retreating glaciers reached by helicopter, half an hour apart, and many people visit both. Franz Josef is the larger village with more places to stay and the more walks in its valley; Fox is quieter and closer to Lake Matheson.
▸ What if the weather is bad?
It often is, and flights are cancelled when cloud sits low. The valley walk, rainforest tracks, hot pools and kiwi centre all work in the rain, and waterfalls are at their best in a downpour. Carry insect repellent year-round: the West Coast's sandflies are relentless.
▸ How long should I spend in Franz Josef?
One night is enough for the valley walk and a flight if the weather cooperates. Two or three nights give a buffer for grounded flights and time for the longer tracks, Fox Glacier, Lake Matheson and Okarito.
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