Here's a selection of activities and experiences to get the most out of your stay at Fox Glacier:
Glacier Walks
Guided walks on the Fox Glacier require pre-booking and our staff are happy to arrange this for you. Nearby Fox Glacier provides some of the best alpine experiences, providing an opportunity to understand the forces of nature which have sculptured the ensuing landscape. Guided trips to the glacier are highly recommended and various options depart daily from nearby Alpine Guides Fox Glacier headquarters. Equipment required such as good footwear are supplied at no extra cost on guided trips.
Half Day Fox Glacier Walk
Experience the opportunity to crunch across the frozen surface of the mighty 13 kilometre long Fox Glacier in the company of an experienced guide. With 2 departures per day you will have the chance to join a group for the 3.5 - 4 hour round trip. A short bus ride takes you to the carpark and then a brisk 45 minute walk on a well formed track provides access onto the glacier itself.
Fox Glacier Full Day Walk
If you want to truly experience a full glacier experience, then a full day hike will provide it. This trip starts from the carpark and spends a full day on the ice allowing you and your party to discover ice caves and streams with a trained guide to fully interpret the experience.
Fox Glacier Helihike
Want the thrill of a helicopter ride as well as the chance to experience your own remote section of the glacier? A short exhilarating helicopter ride deposits you and your guide onto a remote area of the glacier, away from other groups allowing you a 3.5 - 4 hour glacial experience which doesn't rely on undue fitness, although some agility is required. The helicopter trip back provides an awesome vista of the glacier as it grinds seaward.
Fox Glacier Terminal Walk
For those limited on time, there is the opportunity to take a short walk to the terminal face of the glacier. This can be achieved as part of a small guided group or just under your own steam.
Lake Matheson
Lake Matheson is one of the West Coast icons with its amazing late afternoon reflections a favourite of professional photographers. The evening sunsets on the Southern Alps with Mt Cook and Tasman bathing in the last of the evening light etch lasting memories that often fail to be captured by photographic film. The towering rimu, kahikatea and kiromiko trees shelter the old glacial remnant and a boardwalk weaves its way through the landscape, offering tantilising views of the alps above.
Whatever the time of day, the 90 minute walk around the lakeside is something special and worthy of your time. From the carpark 6 kms from Fox Glacier village, the track is well formed and easy to follow.
Gillespie's Beach
For a remote experience on a wild West Coast beach, drive to the road end (24 kilometres) on Cook Flat road and walk through the sand dunes to the black sands of Gillespies Beach. This was the site of one of the many goldrushes on the coast and is steeped in history. The 40 minute walk from the carpark takes you to the lagoon on Gillespie's Point and an old gold miners track takes you around the point to a seal colony.
Scenic Flights
Perhaps one of the most popular ways to view the area is from a plane or helicopter as you loop lazily over the farmlands and then into the glacial wonderland of the upper neves. The 13 kilometre long Fox Glacier links with the nearby Franz Josef Glacier at the head, as the snowfields feed from the nearby alps.
Flights are offered by both fixed wing and helicopter with many options which can incorporate a snow landing or a circuit around mighty Mt Cook and its eastern aspects. On a fine day, this is a 'must-do' and we are happy to advise and assist.
Local Walks
Around the village there are other shorter walking options to enjoy. These form the ideal way to fill in an afternoon and our staff are happy to direct you to the start. Across the main road from Te Weheka is the Department of Conservation headquarters which also will provide much information on the area and the coast in general.
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