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Franz Josef Glacier

Description: The Franz Josef or Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere is a glacier located in Westland National Park on the West Coast of New ... more

Franz Josef Glacier ... Zealand's South Island. Together with the Fox Glacier 20 km to the south, it is unique in the fact that it descends from the Southern Alps to just 240 metres above sea level amidst the greenery and lushness of a temperate rainforest. The area surrounding the two glaciers is designated a World Heritage Site. The river emerging from the glacier terminal of Franz Josef is known as the Waiho. It was named after Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria by the German explorer, Julius von Haast in 1865. The Māori name for the glacier is Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere ('The tears of Hinehukatere'), arising from a local legend: Hinehukatere loved climbing in the mountains and persuaded her lover, Tawe, to climb with her. Tawe was a less experienced climber than Hinehukatere but loved to accompany her until an avalanche swept Tawe from the peaks to his death. Hinehukatere was broken hearted and her many, many tears flowed down the mountain and froze to form the glacier.

Newest Review: ... However, I would recommend a chalet and not a tent due to the cold! The main event in Franz Josef is the magnificent glacier, and there are many organised treks up it. We arrived for our guided trek at 9.15am and were well looked after. We were kitted out in professional equipment such as jackets, gloves, socks, hats and crampons! (These are needed!) We went for the full day hike - about 8 ... more

... hours! As there was a very large group, we were split in to about 8 different smaller groups depending on fitness and ability. Determined not to rush the day we went for one of the slower groups (a decision we were glad we made!) The first part was a 2.8km...more

Read Reviews for Franz Josef Glacier

Franz Josef Glacier: Franz Josef and Glacier (327 words)
by - written on 29/11/08 (Useful, 15 readings)
Rating:

Franz Josef Glacier is located on the South West of the South Island in New Zealand. It is also very near the famous Fox Glacier. The town itself is very quaint with a couple of shops, a local supermarket and plenty of accommodation. It has that ski resort feel about it. We stayed at a campsite about a 2 minute drive away from the main centre. However, I would recommend a chalet and not a tent due to the cold! The main event in Franz Josef is the magnificent glacier, and there are many organised treks up it. We arrived for our guided trek at 9.15am and were well looked after. We were kitted out in professional equipment such as jackets, gloves, socks, hats and crampons! ... Read the complete review

2 days in Franz Josef (336 words)
by - written on 10/05/02 (Useful, 95 readings)
Rating:

We visited New Zealand in January 2001 and spent a couple of days in and around Franz Josef. We stayed at the Glow Worm Cottages in Franz Josef which was a really nice place to be. We had pre-booked our accommodation a couple of days before as we realised that both Franz Josef and Fox were going to busy places. We'd also prebooked a helicopter ride and this was a wonderful thing to do. We took the Mountain Scenic Spectacular trip with The Helicopter Line up over Mount Cook, over Fox Glacier and landed at the top of Franz Josef. We had 10 or so minutes at the top to take loads of photos, and enjoy being somewhere totally different. In the ... Read the complete review

Franz Josef Glacier: Glacier hiking on the west coast. (136 words)
by - written on 22/04/01 (Useful, 91 readings)
Rating:

I recently visited New Zealand and was lucky enough to get down to Fox Glacier for a couple of days. While there, I went on a glacier hike with the Alpine Guides company. This cost me NZ$36 which was about £11 sterling at the time. This has to be the best value for money I got in NZ. We set off in the morning to avoid the rain (which soaked us on the way back!) and walked through the rainforest to the edge of the glacier. Then, kitted out with crampons and sticks, we walked onto the glacier where we got first-hand experience of something purely amazing. This is an amazing experience which is a definite must-do for any visitor to NZ. But be warned - ... Read the complete review

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