FIRE AND ICE
06 JANUARY 2024
Nature's Hand Jacuzzi
The West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand is possibly our favourite region in New Zealand (we still can't decide between this, Canterbury, Otago and Southland... heeeelp!). One of the reasons we love it so much is because of the incredibly lush rainforests filled with vibrant green moss and cool fungi (here's looking at you, blue fungi at Lake Matheson!) and the fact that we get to see glaciers with our very own eyes! Sure, they are far away and you can't touch them or see them up close unless you do a heli hike or a scenic flight (which we did and we flew over the Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier... wowsers!). Still, to be able to go on a beautiful walk and see the glaciers is next level cool.
The Fox Glacier Southside walk follows alongside the Fox River and takes you through an ancient podocarp forest. The track is 6.4km return and is a gravel path which is easy to walk on, with a mixture of flat and short hills. It takes 2 hours to complete the track but allow for longer to explore the Moraine Walk which is an enchanting and magical track that branches off from the Southside track before meeting up with it again - click here to read all about the Moraine Walk.
Another reason to allow a little longer, is because there is a hot spring on the path... crazy, right? Now, this isn't one where you can strip off in the nuddy and go for a soak... what are you thinking? There are children about... PLEASE! But no, really, it's a very small spring and there isn't enough room to sit in it and by the look of all the oil sitting on top, there have been some very stinky feet and dirty hands that have gone in it! Our hands certainly did, as we did the hike on a cold day and it was sooo nice to warm them up! It's well sign posted, so you can't miss it.
The Fox Glacier Southside walk follows alongside the Fox River and takes you through an ancient podocarp forest. The track is 6.4km return and is a gravel path which is easy to walk on, with a mixture of flat and short hills. It takes 2 hours to complete the track but allow for longer to explore the Moraine Walk which is an enchanting and magical track that branches off from the Southside track before meeting up with it again - click here to read all about the Moraine Walk.
Another reason to allow a little longer, is because there is a hot spring on the path... crazy, right? Now, this isn't one where you can strip off in the nuddy and go for a soak... what are you thinking? There are children about... PLEASE! But no, really, it's a very small spring and there isn't enough room to sit in it and by the look of all the oil sitting on top, there have been some very stinky feet and dirty hands that have gone in it! Our hands certainly did, as we did the hike on a cold day and it was sooo nice to warm them up! It's well sign posted, so you can't miss it.
We were thankful to be able to warm our hands up in the natural hot spring
Do You Believe In Fairies?
It's clear to see from the photos, just how lush the rainforest in Fox Glacier is and it's one of the major attractions in the area for tourists. I like to take a look around, off the beaten path, to see what else I can spot and I was looking through some trees at one point along the track and was amazed to see the denser forest just dripping with life! I especially loved the reflections of the forest in the water, which is what the West Coast is famous for... its reflective lakes, like Lath Matheson in Fox Glacier and Peters Pool in Franz Josef.
The girls were equally impressed with the forest and they told us that fairies lived here... and we believe them because it really is a magical fairyland forest.
The girls were equally impressed with the forest and they told us that fairies lived here... and we believe them because it really is a magical fairyland forest.
The Grand Finale
I don't want you to get the impression that the glacier is close to the viewpoint, because it isn't... it's 2.6kms away. I used my long lense on my DSLR to get some close-up snaps of it and my phone camera always makes things look further away and smaller, so you should be able to get a rough idea of what it will look like once you get to the viewpoint. It's still very impressive to look at and well worth the hike!
There is a large flat section at the look out which means plenty of room for everyone on the trail to have a spot to look at the glacier and take photos of it. It's an impressive view and even more impressive if you can look at it through a zoom lense. It's crazy to think the glacier was once where we were standing at the lookout!
The track does keep going for another 10 minutes past this point and takes you to another viewpoint, then you return. We didn't end up going to the last bit, so I don't know how different the next viewpoint is compared to this one. There is a viewpoint we drove to, that had uninterrupted views of the Fox Glacier and is well worth going to, even if you have done this walk and especially if you don't have time to do this walk and want to see the glacier! Click here for the details.
There is a large flat section at the look out which means plenty of room for everyone on the trail to have a spot to look at the glacier and take photos of it. It's an impressive view and even more impressive if you can look at it through a zoom lense. It's crazy to think the glacier was once where we were standing at the lookout!
The track does keep going for another 10 minutes past this point and takes you to another viewpoint, then you return. We didn't end up going to the last bit, so I don't know how different the next viewpoint is compared to this one. There is a viewpoint we drove to, that had uninterrupted views of the Fox Glacier and is well worth going to, even if you have done this walk and especially if you don't have time to do this walk and want to see the glacier! Click here for the details.
Know Before You Go
- Check out the daily access update before you go on the walk - click here
- The viewpoint is 2.6km from Fox Glacier, so don't expect to be able to touch it!
- The track is 6.4km return and takes 2 hours to complete
- The path is very easy to walk on and is mainly gravel. There are a mixture of flat and hilly sections, but nothing dramatic!
- I recommend doing the hike on a clear day, or at least a partly cloudy day, otherwise you may not see the glacier at all
- You can do a fly over in a helicopter to get a closer look, like we did
How To Get To The Fox Glacier Southside Walk
The Fox Glacier Southside walk trailhead is a 3 minutes' drive from Fox Glacier town. Head south for 3 minutes and the carpark is on the left, just after the Fox River Bridge. Its well sign posted! Click here to find it on Google Maps
Conclusion
This track is stunning! We loved walking through the lush, ancient rainforest and warming our hands up in the hot spring. The icing on the cake (or is it the iceberg on the cake?) was seeing the impressive Fox Glacier with our own eyes!
When you've finished the track, head on over to the Fox Glacier Viewpoint which is a 12-minute drive away and has another great view of the glacier. If you're still full of energy, then we highly recommend the Lake Matheson track which has a mirror lake on a still day with incredible mountain views and is only 10-minutes' drive from the track.
When you've finished the track, head on over to the Fox Glacier Viewpoint which is a 12-minute drive away and has another great view of the glacier. If you're still full of energy, then we highly recommend the Lake Matheson track which has a mirror lake on a still day with incredible mountain views and is only 10-minutes' drive from the track.
Gallery of the Fox Glacier Southside Walk
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown.
More to do in New Zealand
GRANDJEAN FAIRY FOREST
WEST COAST There is nothing better than finding fairy houses and painted walks hidden around! There is plenty to discover on this forest walk. |
CROWN RANGE SUMMIT
OTAGO Between Queenstown & Wanaka sits NZ's highest main road - the Crown Range. Take a short hike from the carpark for amazing views! |
TSS WAVERLY LAGOON TRACK
MARLBOROUGH The Wairau Lagoon offers a 6km round trip across the salt marsh to reach and explore the TSS Waverly shipwreck.
|
SEND US A MESSAGE, WE LOVE GETTING MAIL! |
DISCOVER |
FOLLOW USBORING (BUT IMPORTANT LEGAL) STUFF |