Things to Do at Franz Josef Glacier

The glacier is the headline, but Glacier Country rewards a longer stay. Beyond the flights and the ice, there are valley walks, a mirror-still glacial lake, and rainforest full of birdlife.

See the glacier — by air or on foot

Every visitor faces one choice: how close to the ice do you want to get, and will you fly for it? A heli-hike lands you on the glacier for a guided walk across it. A scenic flight stays airborne with a snow landing for photos. A guided valley walk reaches a viewpoint below the ice without flying, and it is the reliable fallback when weather grounds the helicopters. All three, with live prices, sit on the main Franz Josef Glacier tours page.

Kayak or cruise Lake Mapourika

A short drive north, Lake Mapourika is the glacier's own meltwater basin — a kettle lake the ice carved and left roughly 14,000 years ago. On a calm morning its surface mirrors the Southern Alps. A two-hour eco-cruise crosses to the Okarito shoreline with a skipper who knows the birdlife; a three-hour kayak paddles the same still water. Both transfer you out from Franz Josef village and supply gear, including cover against the sandflies.

Walk to the Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary

A combined kayak-and-walk trip paddles Lake Mapourika, then follows a private track into the Okarito sanctuary, home to the rare rowi kiwi. Rowi are nocturnal and elusive, so a live sighting is never promised — the sanctuary stop usually shows a nest site rather than a bird. The draw is the untouched podocarp rainforest and the birdsong, not a guaranteed kiwi.

Off-road by quad bike

For a change of pace, an off-road quad-bike tour runs through farmland and river terraces near the village. It is muddy, weather-proof fun, supplied with wet-weather gear and gumboots, and a good option for a day the sky closes in.

Go higher — the skydive

The most adrenaline-heavy option leaves the glacier below you entirely. A tandem skydive from 16,500 feet drops over the ice, lakes and coast, with Aoraki/Mount Cook on the horizon. The freefall lasts under a minute before the canopy opens for a slower drift back to the airfield. It carries strict weight and health rules, covered on the Franz Josef Glacier tickets safety page, and personal cameras aren't allowed on the jump.

Getting here — including from Queenstown

Most visitors reach Franz Josef by road along the West Coast. A specialist operator also runs a fixed-wing day trip from Queenstown that flies to the glacier, helicopters onto the ice, and hikes it before flying back — a long day, but the only way to do the heli-hike without staying on the coast. That trip is not currently bookable through this site; the tours listed here depart from Franz Josef village itself.

Things to do, compared

A quick way to match an activity to your day, budget and the weather.