Add a review about Franz Josef Glacier

Every year more than 250 thousand tourists visit the glacier of Franz Josef. What is so famous about, and what interesting can you see in this place? The Franz Josef Glacier is located in the Westland National Park, which belongs to the Te Vahipunamu area. By the way, this area is sacred for the local population - Maori. In addition, it is a UNESCO heritage site.

The Franz Josef glacier is the world's fastest glacier. During the day the ice passes a decent distance, about 2 m per hour. Due to the thawed water there is the Taiho River and several lakes. From the mountains surrounding the original canyon, numerous waterfalls descend.

A very beautiful and sad legend is associated with Franz Josef Glacier. Girl Hinohukatre more than anything in the world loved mountains. One day she decided to show local beauty to her young man - Tave's boyfriend. Alas, the young people fell under a landslide, and Tave was unable to escape. Hinehukatrae cried so much that her tears gave rise to the glacier. So it's no coincidence that this Maori landmark is called "Tears of Hinehukatrae."

The length of the Franz Josef glacier is 12 km. Around him you can make a horse ride.

The first mention of the Franz Josef glacier dates back to 1859. It was then that people saw it floating nearby on the ship "Marie-Louise". Six years later the German researcher Julius von Haast gave him the name in honor of the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph.

Franz Josef Glacier

It is interesting that this is the most "fastest" glacier in the world. During the day the ice passes a decent distance, about 2 m per hour. Due to the thawed water there is the Taiho River and several lakes. From the mountains surrounding the original canyon, numerous waterfalls descend.

The Franz Josef glacier descends from the Southern Alps and passes through a temperate wet New Zealand forest.

Not far from this landmark is the small town of Franz-Joseph .In this peculiar tourist center there are cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, hotels and even a helipad .Do you think, why is she here? Everything is simple .From here, on helicopters, tourists climb the main field of the Franz Josef Glacier .Local companies offer a variety of options for exploring the glacier: there are also small walking excursions, and there are also complex multi-day hikes .In any case, you will need comfortable sportswear, mountain boots, spikes "cats" and ice axes .

In the Westland National Park a total of more than 60 glaciers. But the most famous of them are the Franz Josef Glacier and Fox.

You can do such a trip yourself or with an experienced guide. By the way, tourists can also make an excursion through the grottoes and tunnels of the glacier. Keep in mind that you can not go very close to the glacier. The matter is that at any moment rockfall can begin here, or huge blocks of ice will suddenly fly.

The Franz Josef Glacier can be visited at any time of the year.