Glaciers & the Southern Alps
The Southern Alps — Kā Tiritiri o te Moana — form the spine of the South Island, and their scenery is staggering: blue-white glaciers spilling toward rainforest on the West Coast, the 3,724-metre summit of Aoraki/Mount Cook, and glacier-fed lakes glowing an unreal turquoise. This is New Zealand at its most alpine and awe-inspiring. Here's how to experience the ice and the mountains.
Franz Josef & Fox glaciers
On the wild West Coast, the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers descend dramatically toward temperate rainforest — a rare sight. Because both have retreated in recent years, the classic way onto the ice today is a heli-hike, flown high onto the glacier for a guided walk among the seracs and blue ice; scenic flights are spectacular too. On foot, valley tracks lead to viewpoints of the terminal face. See our South Island tours.
Aoraki/Mount Cook & the turquoise lakes
Inland, Aoraki/Mount Cook (3,724 m) presides over an alpine national park of glaciers — including the country's longest, the Tasman — and gentle valley walks like the Hooker Valley Track. On the way, Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki shine milky-turquoise, and the Church of the Good Shepherd is famously photogenic. The whole Aoraki Mackenzie area is a Dark Sky Reserve for world-class stargazing. See our South Island guide.
Linking the ice and the Alps
The glaciers and the Aoraki region sit on opposite sides of the Alps, linked by grand drives and passes — or by the scenic TranzAlpine train from Christchurch. Weather rules the heights, so keep heli-hikes and scenic flights flexible and seize the clear windows. Pair the region with Queenstown and Fiordland to the south for the ultimate South Island loop. See our itineraries guide.
Glaciers & the Southern Alps: your questions
Yes — but the way to reach the ice has changed. Because both glaciers have retreated significantly, the old valley-floor guided walks onto the ice have ended; today the way to actually walk on the glacier is a heli-hike (a helicopter lands you high on the ice for a guided walk). You can still walk the valley tracks to viewpoints of the terminal face on foot. See our glacier experiences page.
They're near neighbours on the West Coast, about 30 minutes apart, and both descend dramatically toward temperate rainforest. Franz Josef (Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere) is the more visited, with the larger township; Fox (Te Moeka o Tuawe) is quieter. Both offer valley walks to viewpoints and spectacular heli-hikes and scenic flights. Either is a highlight of a West Coast journey. See our South Island tours.
Aoraki/Mount Cook is New Zealand's highest mountain at 3,724 metres, the centrepiece of Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. It's ringed by glaciers — including the Tasman Glacier, the country's longest — and laced with walks such as the popular Hooker Valley Track. Sir Edmund Hillary trained here before Everest. The area is also a renowned Dark Sky Reserve. See our South Island guide.
Their extraordinary milky-turquoise colour comes from "rock flour" — fine rock ground by glaciers and carried into the lakes, where it scatters light. Lake Tekapo (with its little Church of the Good Shepherd) and Lake Pukaki are among the most photographed spots in New Zealand, and the surrounding Aoraki Mackenzie region is a Dark Sky Reserve superb for stargazing. See our trip planning guide.
The glaciers sit on the West Coast, reached by road from Christchurch, Queenstown or over the passes; the Aoraki/Mount Cook and Tekapo region lies inland in the Mackenzie Basin. A wonderful way to cross the Alps is the TranzAlpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth via Arthur's Pass. A self-drive or guided tour links them beautifully. See our getting around notes.