Take a hike on a massive river of ice sliding inexorably down the precipitous slopes of the Southern Alps. Glacier walking is one of New Zealand’s top attractions. Experienced guides can lead you into an alien world of blue-tinged ice caves, seracs and pinnacles on the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers on the South Island’s West Coast.
Welcome to the heart of Glacier Country - the township of Franz Josef - nestling at the foot of the Southern Alps. Feel the buzz of excitement as coach loads of expectant tourists are whisked away from the Alpine Adventure Centre, and aerial sightseers soar skywards in a whirl of rotor blades, bound for Mt Cook.
New Zealand has a dynamic duo of glaciers, which are easily accessed and provide a fascinating and unique holiday experience. Nowhere else in the world, at this latitude, do glaciers flow down into a temperate rainforest so close to sea level.
What do you fancy as an appetiser? Was that whitebait or worm patties, huhu grub sushi or battered snails? You will be spoiled with choices at the Hokitika Wild Foods Festival, a culinary celebration of the Kiwi's innovative ability to ‘live off the natural resources of the land and sea’.
The fun of a West Coast holiday begins with a journey through the Southern Alps. A 600 km long, incredibly straight wall of mountains locks the Coast into an exclusive climate zone and eco-system. Ancient Maori greenstone (jade) trails were the only land links with the rest of New Zealand 150 years ago.
Be sure to visit New Zealand’s only white heron (kotuku) nesting colony. It’s a neat experience observing these magnificent birds, which are supremely graceful and elegant in all their movements. The colony of 150 white herons, royal spoonbills and little shags is found in the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve.
Virtually every rock-bound riverbed yields secrets of heritage gold diggings. Fossick in the loose gravels of any tumbling mountain stream on the Coast and you have a good prospect of winning a small ‘colour’. Visitors to the West Coast can have a personal experience of the 1860’s gold rush days at Shantytown.
The ‘Stone of the Gods’ was literally fashioned as the offspring of volcanoes, earthquakes and uplifted mountains. Greenstone, or ‘pounamu’ was prominent in ancient Maori mythology because of its vital importance as the medium for tool and weapon making.
Pull on a wetsuit and helmet, then launch your raft onto a fast-flowing river for the spine-tingling, heart-pounding ride of a lifetime. The wild West Coast has numerous short, steep rivers descending from the high country in the Southern Alps.
Freefalling at terminal velocity from a massive 19,500 feet over West Coast Glacier Country makes you feel alive in a spine-tingling, hair-raising sort of way. This is tandem skydiving at its heart thumping best. An adrenalin buzz with the added bonus of breathtaking views of the Southern Alps.
Stop and marvel at the perfect pancake rock stacks, which are piled high in giant columns and battered by ocean swells. Wonder at the seismic forces that thrust these mysteries of nature up from the seabed. Punakaiki is the gateway to the dramatic limestone country of the Paparoa National Park.
Riding the ‘Iron Road’ is a very romantic and exciting way to travel into West Coast Glacier Country. New Zealand’s most scenic railway line runs coast to coast from Christchurch to Greymouth, and is one of the world’s great railway journeys.
