6 awesome things to do in Fox Glacier
Fox Glacier is every bit as impressive as neighbouring Franz Josef. Here are the top activities in Fox Glacier.
Fox Glacier, known as "Te Moeka o Tuawe" in Māori, is a stunning glacier located in the Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the South Island of New Zealand.
Fox Glacier is the name of both the glacier and the small town nearby.
Fox Glacier is just as impressive as its neighbour Franz Josef, but it gets a lot less attention.
I’ve spent time in both Fox and Franz — these are my favourite things to do in Fox Glacier, as well as how it stacks up against Franz.
jump ahead.
About Fox Glacier — is it worth it?
Get straight to the best things to do around Fox Glacier
Where to stay in Fox Glacier
How to get to Fox Glacier
Short on time? Here are the the things you can’t miss in Fox Glacier:
Head to the South Side walkway for a stunning rainforest walk and glacier views.
Stop by the roadside viewpoint to see the glacier.
Go for a walk around Lake Matheson.
About Fox Glacier
Photo by BareKiwi
Photo by Nimmo Photography
Fox Glacier is a temperate maritime glacier. That means it descends from the Southern Alps into rainforest close to sea level. It covers about 13 kilometres (8 miles) and comes to an end around 300 meters (984 feet) above sea level.
Which is better, Fox Glacier or Franz Josef?
Both Franz Josef and Fox glaciers are worth visiting, and it’s easy to see both. Fox Glacier is only a 30 minute drive from Franz Josef, and both glaciers are visible from accessible viewpoints (in good weather) that you can reach on foot.
Or if you only have time for one, either glacier will deliver the awe you’re looking for.
Both glaciers are equally impressive and have the same unique features — they flow almost to sea level, and the lower slopes of the valleys they have ground out of the mountains are covered in dense, green rainforest.
If you’re just planning on walking to viewpoints, and not taking a helicopter, you should know that you can’t get very close to either glacier — they have both retreated quite far up their respective valleys.
The main difference is in the towns themselves. Fox Glacier is a lot smaller than Franz Josef, which has some sprawling hotels and more restaurant options.
The village of Fox Glacier is tiny and unremarkable. There are a couple of places to get food, a general store where you can stock up on supplies and that’s about it.
That’s not a bad thing — it’s much smaller and more low key than neighbouring Franz Josef, which can be a good thing if you like peace and quiet.
Fox Glacier felt a lot more like a normal small New Zealand town to me, so it depends what kind of experience you’re after.
Full disclosure — I only took the heli-hike option up to Franz Josef glacier, as it wasn’t in my budget to fly to both glaciers. So, I can’t speak specifically to what it’s like to walk on Fox Glacier, but if it’s anything like Franz, it will be an epic experieance.
Is visiting Fox Glacier worth it?
Fox Glacier is well worth visiting. Even if you don’t have the time or budget to heli-hike Fox Glacier, you can still see it from the road or on various hikes in the area, which makes this a must-see destination on a West Coast road trip.
Both Franz Josef and Fox glaciers are unusual for the speed at which they move — this is because they are descending steep inclines and are so close to sea level.
There are very few other glaciers on Earth that react as swiftly to changing environmental conditions.
The top things to do in Fox Glacier
You can easily spend two full days in Fox Glacier, exploring the different glacier viewpoints and the surrounding area.
The premier activity is taking a helicopter up to walk on the glacier, but there are plenty of other things to do in Fox Glacier if you’re on a budget, conscious of your carbon emissions, or prefer to see the glacier from afar.
1. Go on a Fox Glacier heli hike
Photo by Nimmo Photography
Photo by RoadyNZ
// From $599 per person
Walking on a glacier is a surreal experience. Vivid blue ice caves, cracking ice, and views down the valley to the sea - it’s a once in a lifetime thing to do.
Fox Glacier Guiding offer heli hiking on Fox Glacier, and it’s one of the best things to do in Fox Glacier if you want to see the river of ice up close.
A standard Fox Glacier heli hike lasts for around four hours in total, with three hours on the ice. You have the option of extending this to eight hours, with seven hours on the ice.
Up until 2014, Fox Glacier guides, could lead glacier hikes from the valley floor straight up onto the glacier. Since 2014 however, the rapid retreat of the glacier has meant the only access to Fox Glacier is via helicopter.
Fox Glacier has retreated by about 900 meters since 2009
Check out this time lapse to see the changes in the glacier:
2. Walk the Fox Glacier South Side Walkway
// 6.4 kilometres return
// 2 hours
// DOC trail information
The Fox Glacier South Side Walkway leads to a viewpoint of the glacier.
For safety reasons, the end of the track is hundreds of metres away from the glacier.
While you’ll be able to see the end of Fox Glacier, because it has retreated so far up the valley, don’t expect to have your socks knocked off.
It’s still worth checking out this walk, as the forest here is incredible and even seeing the glacier from afar is a unique experience. It also puts into perspective how far it has retreated.
The trail is a gentle walk through lush west coast rainforest — the rich, mossy green forest here is as much of a highlight as the glacier itself.
The walk is flat pretty much the whole way, and at 6.5 kilometres return takes around 2 hours there and back.
The path follows the south bank of the Fox River. You’ll get to the first viewpoint after about 40 minutes. The second viewpoint is a little further on.
One thing to note — there is a walkway on the opposite side of the river, the Te Weheka Walkway and cycleway.
While this is another nice walk through lush native bush, there’s no glacier view from the path, so just be careful not to mix them up.
3. See the glacier from a roadside viewpoint
Fox Glacier as seen from the road
Here you can see the glacier from the beach
One of the best things about Fox Glacier is that you can see it from the road. If the weather conditions are on your side, you can see the glacier pouring out of the mountainside from a roadside viewpoint.
It feels counter intuitive, but drive away from Fox Glacier township and you’ll get better views of the glacier.
Head to the Fox Glacier Lookout point to get a nice view of the glacier from right next to the road (there’s a carpark here for you to pull over).
This lookout spot is just past Lake Matheson, and on the road to Gillespies Beach Campground, so easy to combine with other things to do in Fox Glacier.
You can also see Fox Glacier from Gillespies Beach (also a great sunset spot and campground — see below).
I visited in summer, and it was incredible to be standing on a sunny beach looking up at the mountains with the glacier flowing from them.
If you have the time to drive out to Gillespies Beach, it’s an epic spot to get a view of the glacier, albeit from a distance.
4. Hike the Mount Fox Route
Views from Mount Fox
Views of the glacier up the valley
// 8 hour return hike
// Difficult
The Mount Fox Route is one of the most scenic walks in the South Island of New Zealand.
It’s a tough hike and only recommended for people with a decent level of fitness and experience. The most challenging aspect of it though is the weather.
At 1345 metres, Mount Fox is often covered by cloud, so you might climb up and see nothing.
The best time to hike up is in the morning, before clouds roll in. I set off at 6am and was on top before 10am, and had a beautiful view.
Another option is to take a tent up the night before and camp on the tops so you can wake up to a sunrise view. Just be aware it might be a damp and cloudy night.
Given the conditions are right and you’re prepared for a grunty climb up a rough track, Mount Fox Route is awesome.
Up on the tops, you’ll see alpine tarns, kea swooping overhead and views for days. You can see out to sea and up and down the West Coast, as well as the glacier itself.
Although you’re looking at Fox from a distance, you still get to see the impressive glacier spilling down the valley. Aside from taking a heli hike up to the glacier, this is probably the best view of fox glacier you’re going to get.
You can also see the Southern Alps rolling away into the distance. It’s a pretty impressive spot.
Related read:
The top things to do in Wanaka (after visiting Fox Glacier, you can drive down through Haast to Wanaka for an epic road trip)
5. Walk the Lake Matheson Walkway
// 4.4 kilometre loop
// 1 hour 30 minutes
The Lake Matheson Walkway is short and sweet, but still one of the best walks in the South Island.
The lake is famous for acting like a mirror to the mountain range in the background, reflecting a perfect view of the peaks.
The glossy reflection is thanks to the dark brown colour of the water. To get the calmest water and best reflections, visit at dawn or dusk.
It’s a 4.4 kilometre loop that only takes 1 hour 30 minutes to complete.
Even if there is a breeze kicking up the surface of the water, it’s a gorgeous walk through mature forest around the lake.
West Coast forest is very rich and green, so there’s a very magical feeling about this lake and the bush surrounding it.
My tip: The cafe at Lake Matheson is also a nice spot to sit in the sunshine and enjoy the views.
6. Watch the sunset at Gillespie’s Beach
Gillespies Beach is a gorgeous spot where you can camp, follow walking trails, or enjoy the sunset.
West Coast weather doesn’t always play ball, but on clear evenings the sunsets are incredible.
Gillespies Beach is covered in pebbles and driftwood, washed by west coast waves. You can turn around and see the glacier from the beach, or look west and enjoy the golden setting sun.
I loved the drive out to Gillespie Beach but it might not be for everyone — you’ll need to drive on gravel for around 20 minutes, through a mossy coastal forest.
If you’re comfortable with the drive, I would definitely recommend this spot, especially if you plan on staying in a campervan overnight.
Where to stay in Fox Glacier
Gillespie’s Beach Campground
I stayed at the Gillespie’s beach campground, which I highly recommend for anyone in a campervan.
From the beach, you can look back at the mountains and see the glacier, which is a surreal experience.
There are a few nice walks to do from the campground and of course, it’s a great sunset spot.
Getting to Fox Glacier
Fox Glacier is best visited as part of a West Coast road trip. You can get there from either Queenstown or Christchurch
Christchurch to Fox Glacier
It takes around six hours to drive from Christchurch to Fox Glacier, including stops. I recommend staying overnight in Arthur’s Pass on the way, to break up the trip and explore some of the great short walks in Arthur’s Pass National Park.
Wanaka to Fox Glacier
It takes three and a half hours to drive from Wanaka to Fox Glacier. Stop by the Blue Pools for a short walk on the way.
Queenstown to Fox Glacier
Queenstown to Fox Glacier is a four and a half hour drive.
You can stop over in Wanaka on the way, which breaks up the trip. You’ll want to stop at places like Lake Hawea, the Blue Pools, and Haast along the way, so allow much more time than Google Maps suggests.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! The West Coast is one of my favourite parts of New Zealand, and seeing Fox Glacier is a highlight of a West Coast road trip in my view.
Before you go, here are some more suggestions for things to do on a South Island road trip:
