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Fox Glacier City Guide

New Zealand>Fox Glacier City

There are more than 360 glaciers in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. The two biggest are Fox (15 km)and the Franz Josef (13 km long). These large glaciers carry much rock debris, known as moraine, on their surfaces.

The recreational activities here are mostly based on mountain tracking and skiing, there are multiple types of tracks lying there for your selection in Fox Glasier. If you enjoy glowworms, take a short nighttime walk along the track to the Glowworm Grotto, which starts from Glow-worm Forest Lodge on the main highway just south of the village.

Another short and easy loop track, the Minnehaha Walk, also starts on the main highway just south of the village. This 20-minute RT track follows the Minnehaha Stream through typical Westland rainforest chockablock with beautiful ferns. It's a good walk to keep in mind for a wet day.

To enjoy the lakes, beaches, and seals of Fox Glacier. Have a good day-trip to Lake Matheson in Fox Glacier village. Lake Matheson is renowned for outstanding reflections (on a calm day) of 3,744-meter Mt. Cook and 3,498-meter Mt. Tasman, and for the beautiful forest walk around the lake. The best reflections are early in the morning before the wind stirs up the surface.

If you follow the track of Cook Flat Rd, you will be leading to Gillespies Beach at the end of your journey. The Gillespies Beach is where the sand-sluiced for gold (more than 600 people once mined this area). Follow an early miners' track through a cliff tunnel and down to the beach or take a sidetrack at the tunnel for a 10-minute climb to a trig survey marker for superb views.

If you have a passion for skiing, it is best to visit Fox Glacier in winter (July-Nov), Alpine Guides (Westland)sponsors a variety of skiing adventures (downhill and cross-country) on the Fox Glacier. However, You must possess a good level of fitness and stamina as they accept only strong intermediate skiers.

You can also enjoy an adventurous flightseeing, another excitement for you. Guides at Fox Glacier township offer you ski-plane or helicopter tours where it offers Skiplane Adventures ranging from a 15-minute scenic flight over Fox with snow landing.

Getting There and Moving Around

By air

There are airports at Westport and Hokitika with regular scheduled services include the inbound and outbound of flights to and from various cities in New Zealand.

By rail

Highlight of a visit to the West Coast is the Tranz Alpine Express through the Southern Alps, one of the greatest train journeys in the world winds across spectacular gorges, over the Southern Alps and through lush beech forest to Greymouth on the West Coast.

By road

The car rental and mini vans services are available in twenty locations New Zealand wide. Free delivery and pick up from TranzAlpine train, hotels and motels are at affordable rates.

Moving Around