Stay in Franz Josef for the wider choice of hotels, from holiday parks to a 5-star retreat, and for most glacier heli-hikes. Pick Fox Glacier for a smaller village, Lake Matheson and a free car park at the glacier. The two villages are about 45 minutes apart by bus.
Franz Josef accommodation covers the widest range on the West Coast glaciers, from campervan sites to a 5-star retreat, so stay in Franz Josef / Waiau for choice, restaurants and the Franz Josef heli-hikes. Pick Fox Glacier / Weheka for a quieter village, an early walk at Lake Matheson and a glacier car park with no DOC fee. The two are about 45 minutes apart on the InterCity bus, so you can stay in one and visit the other.
You can’t walk onto either glacier any more. Foot access to Franz Josef ended in 2012 as the ice became unstable, and guided trips now fly in by helicopter. A cloudy morning can ground those flights, which is why two nights beats one.
| Franz Josef / Waiau | Fox Glacier / Weheka | |
|---|---|---|
| Size and choice | The bigger village; budget to 5-star | Smaller; a boutique hotel and a holiday park among others |
| Glacier car park | About 4 km south, across the Waiho River bridge | About 2 km south, across the Fox River bridge |
| Parking fee | $2.50 a half hour, $20 a day, card only (checked November 2026) | No fee listed by DOC |
| Walk to the glacier view | DOC says the river has cut off access up the valley; check the daily update | South Side walk, about 40 minutes to the first viewpoint |
| Lake Matheson | Further away | Closer |
| Who it suits | First visits, families, heli-hikes | Photographers, couples, a quieter night |
Our Franz Josef vs Fox Glacier guide compares the glaciers themselves.
Te Waonui is the 5-star hotel in Franz Josef, at 3 Wallace Street in the township, now run by the Scenic Hotel Group under the Legacy name (Booking.com lists it as “Legacy Te Waonui Hotel”). Its four wings enclose a patch of native rainforest that was kept during construction, and it has a 24-hour reception and the Frond Bar & Restaurant. The glacier car park is about 4 km south.
Check the season before you book. The hotel’s own site says the restaurant and bar close from 1 May to 1 September, and third-party listings disagree on whether the whole hotel closes in winter. Parking isn’t confirmed on the official site. It suits a splurge and couples. Legacy Te Waonui Hotel
At 46 Cron Street in the township, Rainforest Retreat covers almost every budget on one site: tree houses, lodge cabins, motel rooms, dorm rooms and powered campervan sites. The family tree houses are set apart from each other in the bush. That range makes it the easy answer for mixed groups, families and campervans. Its official rates page looked years old when we checked, so compare prices for your dates. Rainforest Retreat on Booking.com
A holiday park at 2902 Franz Josef Highway with motels, self-contained units, cabins, and tent and powered sites. It suits families and campervans who want the familiar TOP 10 setup. If you need to empty a campervan tank, Westland’s draft bylaw lists a dump station in Franz Josef between Cron Street and State Highway 6. Franz Josef TOP 10 Holiday Park
Te Weheka is a 20-room boutique hotel run by Distinction, at 15 Main Road (State Highway 6) in the middle of the village. The South Side car park for the glacier walk is 2 km south, across the Fox River bridge. Listings say parking is free, but the hotel’s own site doesn’t confirm it. It suits couples and anyone who wants a hotel room rather than a motel in Fox. Te Weheka Hotel on Booking.com
On Kerr Road, this holiday park has lodges, cabins, motels and self-contained units, plus about 150 non-powered tent sites according to its park map. That makes it the budget and campervan base in Fox, and a good one for families. Fox Glacier TOP 10 Holiday Park
Franz Josef. Drive about 4 km south of the township, cross the Waiho River bridge and turn left onto the Glacier Access Road. The DOC car park is paid: $2.50 a half hour or $20 a day, card only, with the free drop-off period cut from 20 to 10 minutes on 1 September 2026 (checked November 2026). DOC says the river has cut off walking access up the valley. Check the daily glacier access update on the Glacier Country website before you go. See our Franz Josef Glacier guide.
Fox Glacier. The old road up the north side of the valley has been closed since 2019. Today you drive 2 km south of the village, cross the Fox River bridge and park on the left for the South Side walk, about 40 minutes to the first viewpoint. DOC warns walkers not to go past the glacier viewpoint because of extreme flood hazard. See our Fox Glacier guide.
Lake Matheson. The loop is 4.4 km and takes about 1 h 30 min, and the jetty lookout is 2.4 km return, about 45 minutes, and wheelchair accessible. DOC says the reflections of Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman are best at dawn, dusk and in calm weather, which is the main reason to sleep in Fox. More in our Lake Matheson guide.
From Queenstown, the drive over Haast Pass takes about 5 to 6 hours, 351 to 387 km depending on the source. State Highway 6 over the pass closed after slips in August 2026 and then ran with convoys and daytime-only hours, and we could not confirm its status in November 2026. Check the NZTA Journeys map before you leave, and read our Haast Pass guide. From Christchurch Airport, the route over Arthur’s Pass is about 372 km by one routing estimate.
Sandflies are part of West Coast life, so pack repellent. Drones are generally not allowed in Westland Tai Poutini National Park, even for recreation.
4-8 hours
The classic Franz Josef heli-hike: a helicopter lands you on the glacier for up to two and a half hours of guided walking among blue ice, crevasses and ice formations, with boots, crampons and waterproofs supplied.
from$499
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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
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The most-reviewed glacier flight on the West Coast: a short helicopter trip over the ice pinnacles and crevasses of Franz Josef Glacier with an alpine landing.
from$222
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
Franz Josef is the bigger village, with more places to stay and eat, so it is the easier base for most trips. Fox Glacier is smaller and closer to Lake Matheson, the lake known for reflections of Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman, and its glacier car park has no DOC fee. Stay in Fox if Lake Matheson at dawn is on your list.
Plan on two nights if you want a glacier flight or heli-hike. The drive in from Queenstown or Christchurch takes most of a day, and helicopter trips depend on the weather, so a second night gives you a spare morning. One night is enough if you only want to walk to the glacier viewpoints and Lake Matheson.
The glacier car park is about 4 km south of the township, across the Waiho River bridge, so most people drive. Parking there costs $2.50 a half hour or $20 a day, card only (checked November 2026). DOC says the river has cut off walking access up the valley, so check the daily glacier access update before you go.
Westland District Council's draft 2024 bylaw would ban freedom camping in the Fox Glacier township, but in November 2026 we could not confirm when or whether it came into force. Overnight camping is also not allowed in DOC's paid car parks. Book a site at a holiday park instead: both villages have a TOP 10 park, and Rainforest Retreat in Franz Josef has powered sites.
The hotel's restaurant and bar close from 1 May to 1 September, according to the hotel's own website, and third-party listings disagree about whether the whole hotel shuts in winter. If you are travelling between May and September, confirm with the hotel before booking. Rainforest Retreat and the two TOP 10 holiday parks list no seasonal closure.
You can no longer walk onto Franz Josef Glacier from the valley.
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.
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.