Things to do in Franz Josef
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Franz Josef
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best balance: thinner crowds, mild weather and settled spells are common.
Quietest and often the most stable flying weather, with short days and some reduced hours.
Warmest and busiest. Peak prices, booked out motels and frequent warm rain.
Spring waterfalls, whitebait season and kotuku breeding, with the most changeable weather.
What's on
- Hokitika Wildfoods Festival March
Wild foods, live music and Feral Fashion in Hokitika, worth an overnight on a March trip.
- West Coast whitebait season September to mid November
The regulated whitebait run fills menus across the coast, the culinary reason to visit in spring.
Best things to do in Franz Josef
Franz Josef Glacier Guides
Helicopter flight onto the glacier then a guided walk through pinnacles and blue ice that changes daily.
Franz Josef Glacier Valley Walk
Free valley walk past retreat markers to a fenced lookout for the terminal face, waterfalls and river flats.
Roberts Point Track
Advanced rainforest tramp over swing bridges to an elevated platform with the best free glacier view.
Alex Knob Track
Hard summit climb giving a top down panorama of the whole glacier, valley and coast on a clear morning.
West Coast Wildlife Centre
Guaranteed rowi kiwi viewing plus the South Island kiwi hatching programme, best with the backstage tour.
Waiho Hot Tubs
Private wood fired tubs filled fresh for each booking, set in rainforest and adults only after dark.
Tatare Tunnels Walk
Free dark tunnel walk with ankle deep water where glow worms light the walls once torches go off.
Peters Pool
Tiny kettle lake a short walk from the car park that mirrors the glacier and peaks on still mornings.
Where to stay in Franz Josef
Franz Josef Village Centre: Cron Street and Main Road
first trip, no car, all round base
Every tour briefing, restaurant and the DOC centre is within a 10 minute walk.
Rainforest Fringe: Wallace Street and North Cron Street
couples, splurge, quiet
Properties sit in native bush with birdsong instead of highway noise, still walkable to dinner.
Franz Josef Highway South and Rural Fringe
families, groups, self catering with a car
Villas and cottages with views and space, but you drive to every meal and briefing.
Fox Glacier Village
Lake Matheson at dawn, second glacier base
Smaller and quieter twin village 25 minutes south, closer to Matheson and the Fox heli hike.
Okarito
birders, solitude, one night
Hamlet on the lagoon with dawn birdsong and night kiwi tours, and almost no dining.
Think twice about
- Listings in Whataroa, Hari Hari or beyond sold as Franz Josef
They are 30 to 60 minute highway commutes, not village bases, and closures can cut you off from a booked glacier day.
- Greymouth or Hokitika as a Franz Josef base
Both are around two hours away and waste the early morning weather windows this coast runs on.
- Low lying camping by the Waiho River in heavy rain warnings
The Waiho is a fast rising glacial river with a real flood history. Follow DOC and Civil Defence advice.
Best restaurants in Franz Josef
The Canopy Restaurant
Five course degustation served among rainforest canopy, the only tasting menu in Glacier Country.
Alice May
Warm bistro serving generous New Zealand comfort dishes, the dinner locals recommend first to visitors.
Snake Bite Brewery
Own brewed craft beer with Asian and Kiwi plates, the best post glacier debrief and a real breakfast too.
Blue Ice Restaurant & Bar
Broad menu with Filipino touches like pork knuckle and adobo alongside fish of the day and pizza.
King Tiger Eastern Eating House & Bar
Indian, Thai and Chinese cooking in a cosy room, the village spice fix and its best vegetarian range.
Monsoon Bar & Restaurant
Fire lit bar restaurant at Rainforest Retreat with pizza and sharing plates, the wet night social centre.
The Landing
Large lively pub restaurant doing generous burgers, pasta and mussels that can feed any group size.
Full of Beans
Early opening cafe for coffee, all day breakfast and pies, the cheapest reliable sit down meal in town.
Outdoor things to do in Franz Josef
Franz Josef Wilderness Tours
Morning kayak across a mirror lake into kiwi sanctuary forest, then a rainforest hike to a lookout.
Okarito Boat Tours
Small boat drift through New Zealand largest unmodified lagoon watching for white herons and spoonbills.
Okarito Kiwi Tours
Night walk into wild rowi kiwi habitat with tiny groups, listening and tracking birds in the dark.
Across Country Quad Bikes
Guided quad ride through rainforest trails and glacial riverbeds where West Coast mud is part of the fun.
Skydive Franz
Tandem jumps from up to 18000 feet with glaciers, lakes, rainforest and the Tasman Sea in one view.
Franz Josef Glacier Guides
Full day learning to ice climb on the glacier in groups of four, with far more ice time than the heli hike.
Fox Glacier Valley Walk
Free valley floor walk to a terminal face viewpoint, the twin glacier ground experience to Franz Josef.
Lake Matheson
Gentle rainforest loop to mirror views of Aoraki Mount Cook and Mount Tasman on calm early mornings.
Best hotels in Franz Josef
Legacy Te Waonui Hotel Franz Josef
Luxury rooms with balconies inside preserved rainforest, plus spa and the Canopy degustation on site.
Rainforest Retreat
One leafy property spanning budget rooms, sites and luxury treehouses, with Monsoon bar on site.
Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier
Large full service hotel with restaurant and bar, the reliable storm night base for groups and families.
Aspen Court Franz Josef
Large modern motel units in native bush at the quiet end of Cron Street, with kitchenettes for self catering.
Bella Vista Motel Franz Josef Glacier
Tidy central chain motel with parking at the door, walkable to every briefing and restaurant in town.
Punga Grove
Quiet motel suites set in rainforest on Cron Street, a calm mid range base a short walk from the centre.
Glenfern Villas
Spacious villas with full kitchens and mountain views south of the village, a house rather than a hotel.
Chateau Backpackers & Motels
Central backpackers with spa pool, shared kitchen and motel units, the social budget base in the village.
Is Franz Josef expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NZ$150 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NZ$320 a person |
| Splurge | NZ$850 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Franz Josef Glacier Guides: weeks ahead
- Waiho Hot Tubs: a few days ahead
- Glacier Helicopters: weeks ahead
- Franz Josef Wilderness Tours: a few days ahead
- Okarito Boat Tours: a few days ahead
- Okarito Kiwi Tours: weeks ahead
- Across Country Quad Bikes: a few days ahead
- Skydive Franz: a few days ahead
- Book the heli hike for your first day and stay at least two nights, three if the glacier is the point.
- Reserve Waiho Hot Tubs evenings, Okarito Kiwi Tours and Canopy degustation ahead in season.
Is Franz Josef safe?
- Never cross DOC barriers in the glacier valley and never enter Tatare Tunnels in flood.
- Sandflies are relentless at lakes and lagoons. Repellent and sleeves at dusk are essential. Emergency number 111.
Franz Josef travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- A one night stay gives you one weather draw for the helicopter and loses often.
- The free valley walk does not put you on the ice, and the old Glacier Hot Pools are closed.
Getting around Franz Josef: public transport and more
- Walk the village in 10 minutes. A car is needed for the glacier car park, Lake Mapourika, Okarito and Fox.
- Allow 30 minutes to Fox Glacier, 30 minutes to Okarito and just under 2 hours to Hokitika on SH6.
Who Franz Josef suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Franz Josef your trip
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