Fox Glacier, or Te Moeka o Tuawe, is best seen on foot from DOC's South Side Walkway: 6.4 km return, about 2 hours, starting 2 km south of the village. The old north-side valley walk closed in 2019. To walk on the ice, take a guided heli hike, with up to 3 hours on the glacier.
Fox Glacier comes down from the Southern Alps into Westland Tai Poutini National Park, a short drive from Fox Glacier/Weheka village on the West Coast. Its Māori name, Te Moeka o Tuawe, refers to the ancestor Tuawe: DOC says the glacier is his moeka, or final resting place, which gives it added significance for local Māori.
There are two ways to see it. Walk the South Side Walkway to a viewpoint across the valley, or fly in with a guide and walk on the ice. The walk is free. The heli hike costs NZ$849.
This is now the main walk to the glacier. Drive 2 km south of the village, cross the Fox River bridge and park on the left. The track follows the south bank of the Fox River through old podocarp rainforest, crossing old glacial moraine. DOC notes that the forest changes with the age of each moraine it has grown over, a record of where the ice once reached.
| South Side Walkway | Detail |
|---|---|
| Distance | 6.4 km return, same way back |
| Time | About 2 h walking, 1 h by bike |
| Grade | Easy to intermediate (grade 2 for bikes) |
| Height change | About 100 m up and down |
| First viewpoint | About 40 min from the car park |
| Final viewpoint | About 10 min on foot past the old car park |
| Toilets | In the village only |
| Parking fee | None listed by DOC |
Checked November 2026. Source: DOC.
Bikes stop at the old car park. From there the path drops gently through forest to the last viewpoint, and DOC is blunt: “Do not go past this point due to extreme flood hazard.” Glacial rivers here can be dammed by falling ice, and when the dam bursts a surge of water and ice floods the valley. The viewpoints are hundreds of metres from the face, so bring a zoom lens if you want close-up photos.
The track can close for rockfall or flooding. Check the daily glacier access update on the Glacier Country website, which DOC links to, before you drive out.
For years the classic walk went up the north side of the valley to near the glacier’s face. In 2019 floods destroyed the access road, and DOC and the NZ Transport Agency decided it would stay closed for the indefinite future after engineers judged rebuilding it impractical. The South Side Walkway, built afterwards, replaced it. When checked in November 2026, DOC listed no north-side valley walk, so if you see one in an older guide, assume it is closed and check with DOC.
The glacier has also kept shrinking. RNZ reported it pulled back about 300 m in a single year, January 2014 to January 2015.
Fox Glacier Guiding has guided on the glacier since 1974. Its main trip, the Flying Fox Heli Hike, flies you over the lower icefall to a landing site on the glacier, then a guide leads you through the ice, cutting steps as you go.
| Fox Glacier Guiding | Flying Fox Heli Hike |
|---|---|
| Total time | Up to 4 hours |
| Time on the ice | Up to 3 hours, weather permitting |
| Price | NZ$849 adult, NZ$849 child aged 9 to 16 |
| Family price | NZ$3,050 for 2 adults and 2 children |
| Departures | 8:50 am and 11:50 am, year round |
| Minimum age | 9 (under 16s with an adult) |
| Fitness | Moderate, no experience needed |
Checked November 2026. Prices valid to 30 September 2027. Source: foxguides.co.nz.
They provide leather boots, socks, crampons, poles, a waterproof jacket and overtrousers, a hat and gloves. Bring three or four warm layers, sunglasses and sunscreen. Jeans aren’t recommended. For a full day, the same company runs an all-day heli hike with up to 7 hours on the ice.
If a heli hike isn’t for you, a half-day guided walk runs through the rainforest to views of Fox Glacier and Mount Tasman, with pickup in the village. The 50-minute scenic flight from Lake Tekapo crosses the divide to Fox and Franz Josef, and some flights from Franz Josef add Fox Glacier.
The Copland Track is the big walk of the Fox area: 18 km one way, about 7 hours, up the Copland Valley to Welcome Flat Hut and its natural hot pools. It starts beside Rough Creek off State Highway 6, at the Karangarua River bridge, 26 km south of Fox Glacier. Architect Creek Hut, a two-bunk hut, sits roughly halfway.
DOC grades it an intermediate tramping track and says you need good fitness for 7 or more hours of walking, river-crossing skills and basic backcountry experience. The track mixes forest paths with boulder hopping along the riverbed, and it passes two active landslides marked as no-stopping zones. Heavy rain can close it at short notice. If Rough Creek is rising at the start, turn back, because the other streams will be unsafe too.
| Welcome Flat Hut | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bunks | 31, serviced hut |
| Booking | Required all year; open for stays to 30 June 2027 |
| Adult fee, 1 May to 30 Sep | NZ$30 a night |
| Adult fee, 1 Oct to 30 Apr | NZ$34 weekdays, NZ$36 weekends |
| Adult fee, 1 Dec to 29 Feb | NZ$38 weekdays, NZ$40 weekends |
| Children 5 to 17 | Half the adult rate |
| Hut passes | Backcountry Hut Passes only 1 May to 30 Sep |
Checked November 2026. Source: DOC.
The hot pools are a short stroll from the hut, with views of the Sierra Range on a clear day. Don’t use soap or shampoo, don’t dig new pools, and keep your head above the water: DOC warns of a risk of amoebic meningitis. Kea at the road-end car park damage cars and gear, so cover anything loose and never feed them.
The village is small, with a hotel, motels and a holiday park, and it’s the closer base for Lake Matheson, 5 minutes’ drive away. Go at dawn or dusk for the best reflections of Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman.
Franz Josef is the bigger village to the north, with more places to stay; see where to stay at Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. Heading south, the road runs on to Haast and over the Haast Pass to Wānaka. Not sure which glacier to pick? Our Franz Josef vs Fox Glacier comparison helps you decide.
4 hours
Fox Glacier's own heli-hike: a scenic flight up the glacier, then up to three hours on the ice with a local guide, with boots, crampons, poles and wet-weather gear provided.
from$476
Check availability4 hoursPickup included
A gentle guided walk through glaciated rainforest to views of Fox Glacier and Mount Tasman, with transport from Franz Josef or pickup in Fox Glacier village.
from$64
Check availability35 minutes
A longer flight out of Franz Josef that covers Franz Josef Glacier and then either Fox or the Tasman Glacier on the Mount Cook side, with about ten minutes on the snow.
from$279
Check availability1 hour
A fixed-wing loop from Tekapo airport with a window seat each, over the turquoise lakes to Aoraki and the Tasman Glacier, then across the Main Divide to the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers.
from$314
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
Not the old one. The north-side access road to the Fox Glacier valley walk was closed for the indefinite future in 2019 after flood damage, and DOC now sends walkers to the South Side Walkway instead. That track is 6.4 km return and ends at a viewpoint hundreds of metres from the ice. Check DOC or the Glacier Country daily access update before you go.
Only with a guide who flies you in. Fox Glacier Guiding's Flying Fox Heli Hike gives up to 3 hours on the ice and takes about 4 hours in total. It cost NZ$849 for adults and children aged 9 to 16 when checked in November 2026, with prices valid to 30 September 2027. Boots, crampons, waterproofs and poles are provided.
DOC lists it as 6.4 km return on the same track, about 2 hours on foot or 1 hour by bike. The first glacier viewpoint comes after about 40 minutes. Bikes must be left at the old car park, then a 10-minute walk leads down to the final viewpoint. DOC says not to go past that point because of extreme flood hazard.
About half an hour by car. DOC puts Lake Matheson, a 5-minute drive from Fox Glacier village, 30 minutes from Franz Josef, and InterCity's bus between the two villages takes about 45 minutes. Many people stay in one village and visit the other glacier as a short trip.
DOC lists the Copland Track as 18 km one way, about 7 hours, from State Highway 6 to Welcome Flat Hut and its natural hot pools. Plan on a night at the hut and the same walk back. The hut must be booked all year, and heavy rain can close the track at short notice because several streams are unbridged.
You can no longer walk onto Franz Josef Glacier from the valley.
Pick Fox Glacier for a heli hike: up to 3 hours on the ice, NZ$50 cheaper and open to children from 9.
Lake Matheson, 5 minutes' drive from Fox Glacier village, is the lake known for mirror reflections of Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman.
New Zealand's glaciers are in the Southern Alps.
Stay in Franz Josef for the wider choice of hotels, from holiday parks to a 5-star retreat, and for most glacier heli-hikes.
Haast Pass (Tioripatea) is the lowest road crossing of the Southern Alps, 563 m above sea level on State Highway 6.