Come and explore the South West New Zealand World Heritage Area, where you'll find the ancient Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier nestled amidst primeval rain forest. Here the lakes, rivers, forests and beaches of an untamed, yet accessible wilderness, are as pure as you will find anywhere.
Although the Franz Josef Glacier played no part in the filming of the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings, an unforgettable experience is provided by an excursion to the everlasting ice, which partly reaches down into the jungle towards the rugged coastline of the Tasmanian Sea. The speed of the glacial flow is particularly high at 5m per day.
If you would like to explore the glacier on foot, it is advisable to join a guided tour. Crampons are necessary on account of the gradient and are available from the guides. Sightseeing flights by helicopter or plane are a must in good weather and can be booked through Umfulana. In the hinterland of the Franz Josef Glacier is Mount Gun, which was filmed as the beacon peak in the Kingdom of Gondor.
