"Fox Glacier" Top 5 Page for this destination Fox Glacier by batgirl1001

This is a picture of the Fox Glacier, famously 1 of the only 2 glaciers outside the Antarctic in the southern hemisphere.

The glacier is located, just a 3 min drive away from the town of Fox Glacier (small town) in the West Coast.

You can walk all the way up to the edge of the glacier which is just a 10-min walk from the car park. This is better than Franz Josef which takes hours to reach. Apparent about 30kms from the public car park.

We arrived too late to do the half-day afternoon walk, so make sure if you want to do the glacier walk, to arrive before 12pm for the afternoon walk or stay at Fox Glacier overnight for the early morning walk that starts at 7am.

Anyway the glacier, according to the information board is currently moving a few centrimetres each year towards the sea. Previously in the last decade, it was retreating. The movements of the glacier are recorded to study the effects of weather (greenhouse effect) on the natural landscape.

Fox Glacier can be accessed by 2 points, from Haast's Pass (in you are coming from Wanaka, Queenstown) or Greymouth (if you are coming from Christchurch). Both journeys takes hours of driving but that's the pleasure of a NZ holiday---> lots of amazing sceneries.

Check out the aerial pictures of Fox Glacier and the surrounding mountains taken from our helicopter ride in Fox Glacier. The 15-minute ride cost about NZ$250+ per person and lands briefly for 5 mins on the mountains. The views are stunning and it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In winter, it is even more beautiful with the constant, think snow but because the weather is more fickle, there may be days before you can fly out.

Beware though that the West Coast is very winding especially the road between Fox Glacier and Franz Josef. It is almost impossible to drive higher than 40km/h on that stretch. And it you are a tourist, please don't drive at nigh not only because it's very dark but also you can't afford any mistake since you are driving beside a cliff. In addition, check our fuel gauge to ensure you have enough. The West Coast is sparsely populated- Fox Glacier/Haast/Franz Josef/Hortika/Greymouth are the only towns.

• Pros:Fox Glacier is very accessible
• Cons:Fox Glacier is small, Franz Josef is more spectacular.