Westward Ho – Franz Josef & Fox Glacier

After spending an amazing time at Hokitika – make sure you read our previous blog Westward Ho – Hokitika, it was time to hit the road.  The next thrilling instalment in our Westward Ho series is all about the glacier towns, Westward Ho– Franz Josef and Fox Glacier.

Hokitika to Franz Josef

As you can see from the map above, it is not a long drive from Hokitika to Franz Josef.  There are plenty of things to stop off at along the way.  These we covered the last time we were in the area.

Read our blog on Historical Ross, when we stayed mainly to attend their legendary Sunday night Buffet at the pub.  I can still remember the ‘food coma’ in the aftermath of the buffet!  If you have the time, I’d fully recommend you stay and play at the small settlement of Ross.  There is a whole heap of history surrounding the area and some great walks.

You’re spoilt for choice when comes to lakes on the drive from Hokitika to Franz Josef, each of them beautiful in its own right.
We stopped off at Lake Ianthe (pronounced eye-Ah-thee) and just had to take a few shots.

Franz Josef

We had spent some time at the Franz Josef NZMCA Park last time we visited the West Coast.  Click here to read our last blog on Franz Josef.

The Orange Sheep Campervan Park

We had done some research and read about the Orange Sheep Campervan Park.  There was also a flyer in the shed at Hokitika NMZCA Park about a special they had going. 

All the facilities we needed, hot showers, water, power, Wi-Fi, dump station and yup…..orange sheep!

The Orange Sheep Campervan Park (TD#6798) is located close to town and if you stay for three nights, you get the third night for free.  For two adults, this works out to $19 per night on power.  The only issue we thought we may have is that some of the sites can be quite tight for larger rigs.  It is really catering for the smaller campervans passing through.

It Was Going to be Tight

We stopped outside and did ‘the walk‘ around.  There is plenty of foliage around the park which does not bode well if you’re not keen on ‘tree rash’ on your caravan windows.  Some of the swing-around areas were going to be very tight for us to manoeuvre our way into.

There are some larger sites to the rear of the camping ground with another entry gate but these are all unpowered.

we manoeuvred ourselves into the space by the office and I HAD to include a photo of Scotty cooking the BBQ breakfast in his winter outfit….it was -5 degrees!!!

We worked out that if we took the site closest to the road frontage, we might just about get the caravan parked up.  This worked out to be correct so we took pride of place in front of the office (which is unmanned during the winter).  It works on an ‘honesty box’ system.  Fill out your slip and pop cash into the locked box.

Many might say it was down to driver skills, however, it is a team effort, with me at the back on a 2-way radio, guiding the rig into position.  Well, that’s my take on it.  We do find that the radios make quick (and quiet work) whenever guiding is required.  It saves a load of yelling and hand gesturing that’s for sure!

We ended up staying a total of 7 nights, extending our intended stay because of some pretty 2nd hand weather that was due to hit.  It’s not pleasant travelling along the coast being buffeted by strong winds and rain.

Things to Do in Franz Josef

We repeated a couple of things that we did last time we were in town as well as some new places we explored.

Tatare Tunnels Walk

• Tatare Tunnels Walk – easily reached from town the Tatare Tunnels Walk follows an old 4WD road before diverting off to the old water tunnels.  If you want to walk the tunnel, best take sandals or gumboots as there is a constant flow of water running through (no more than ankle-deep) AND a flashlight is essential.  It’s such a shame that DOC never repaired the damage to the water race at the far end of the tunnel, instead, you need to turn around at the gated end of the tunnel and return along the same track.   There’s an interesting history board at the start of the tunnel that explains the history of the tunnel and the surrounding area.  It was a 6.5km return from basecamp but the tunnel itself is 450m.
  

  make sure to stop and admire the views along the way to the tunnel – they are quite spectacular

  

  there is a really interesting information board at the start of the tunnel, and we took a change of footwear to put on before heading into the tunnel

  

  appropriate footwear and a torch are a must….oh and mind your head!  We made it to the end of the tunnel before having to turn around to come back the way we came

Callery Gorge Walk

• Callery Gorge Walk – the start of this walk is the same as the Tatare Tunnels track.  This time, we continued to walk uphill as it climbs to a high terrace before descending to the Callery River.  The track narrows through the moss-laden rainforest and follows an old gold mining water race and rusty relics.  We then descended to the narrow Callery Gorge Swing Bridge where unfortunately the track stops due to past flooding and washouts.  We about turned and headed back to basecamp….8.5km.

the Callery Walk and Tatare Tunnel Walk start off at the same point

there are two bridges to cross, make sure you go all the way to the 2nd bridge before returning back the way you came. Spot the old mining equipment and water pipes along the side of the trail

Got on Our Bikes

• The weather at this stage was still playing ball, so we jumped on our bikes and cycled out to the Franz Josef Glacier Car Park.  There is a wide shoulder alongside the main road which is very bike and pedestrian friendly.  Before reaching the glacier carpark, there is a pleasant off-road track that brings you out, right at the carpark.  We finished our cycling off by riding along the top of a relatively new southern stop bank where the old campground used to be, before being taken out by more than a few floods.

we enjoyed our bide ride out to the glacier carpark and over the top of the large stop-bank

A huge amount of money has been spent to protect the land from the water erosion from the Waiho River when it is in flood

West Coast Wildlife Centre

• Last but not least, was a visit to the West Coast Wildlife Centre.  This is a great wet weather activity as it is all indoors.  They do some amazing work with the endangered Rowi Kiwi and tuatara. 
  There’s an overload of information on all things kiwi, tuatara, glaciers and legends of the West Coast.

  Here are some facts we learned:

  -there are 5 species of kiwi

  -the Rowi is by far the most endangered, with only 600 known to be in the wild

  -Rowi is only found in the Franz Josef/Okarito area

  -although they can’t fly, they still have tiny wings

  -they only have one partner for life

  -the male kiwi does most, if not all of the egg incubating…and that lasts for about 80 days (such parental dedication).
  We wandered through the darkened enclosure and watched fascinated as two Rowi foraged for food, a little more than an arm’s length from us.

  There is also a wealth of info on the tuatara. We counted 5 of them standing like statues….they really don’t move around much. There were also some interesting facts we learned:

  -they’ve been around for some 200 million years

  -there’s only one type of tuatara left

  -tuatara egg is about the size of a jellybean and takes a year to incubate!!!

  -temperature determines whether they hatch male or female

  -the parent takes off from the get-go, leaving their babies to fend for themselves
  There’s also a cafe with great coffee to round off the visit nicely.
  

  well worth a visit, especially on a wet West Coast day – and you’ll be supporting an amazing cause

  

   

Our time was up in Franz Josef.  We were very happy to stay longer than planned.  It gave us the opportunity to chill out and explore some areas that we didn’t cover last time we were in town.  It was time to continue on with our Westward Ho – Franz Josef & Fox Glacier sojourn.

Fox Glacier

Although it isn’t a big distance between Franz Josef and Fox Glacier township, there is a ‘twirly whirly’ (my description!) hill to traverse.  

As you can see on the above map, there are a lot of corners to negotiate and a steep climb and descent.  There are also many river crossings so you can understand why the road often gets closed due to floods and slips.

There were no worries about us travelling between the two glacier towns however and it was a splendid, scenery-packed trip.

The last time we were in the area, we didn’t stay in Fox Glacier township, but we travelled towards the coast and stayed a couple of nights at the DoC Camp at Gillespies Beach.  As usual, click on the link to read all about our stay at Gillespies Beach.

Fox Glacier Lodge

The Fox Glacier Lodge (TD#6812) is part of the NZMCA Campsaver scheme which means we get a 25% discount off the advertised price.  For a powered site, it cost us $30 per night.

plenty of room for the larger rigs, we were spoilt for choice when it came to choosing our spot

Conveniently located close to the town, it is only a short walk to cafes and shops.  Although close to town, it has a tranquil and private setting.  It’s surrounded by the rainforest of the Westland Tai Poutini National Park.

The Lodge caters for many different travellers/groups and our ablution block included hot showers, toilets and a coin-operated laundry

Not only are there 25 powered sites, but there are also B&B style rooms, a chalet and 6 self-contained units.  We had hot showers and a coin-operated laundry and dump station.  Everything we needed.

On our Bikes Again

I really wasn’t too sure if there were many places to cycle to in Fox Glacier.  However, the sun was shining so we thought why not?

There are two trails that start on the side of the main road – The Minnehaha Walk (walking only), and the Te Wekeka Walkway

We started off with the Te Wekeka Walk/cycleway. It’s a 5km return cycle track through the moss-laden bush to a viewpoint of NZ’s largest active landslide, the Alpine Gardens.  The start of the trail is easy to find.  It’s on the LHS heading south, just on the edge of the township.  There used to be a loop trail you could follow.  This has been washed out thanks to the Fox River flooding.   We needed to turn around and backtrack the way we came.

we’d reached the end of the trail and the site of NZ’s largest landslide – known as The Alpine Gardens

There’s a very good reason why we could go no further.  Restoring reliable and safe roading access to Fox Glacier is no longer possible due to the Alpine Gardens landslide.  It has consistently damaged infrastructure and has now made the north side of the steep valley unsafe to enter.  We could easily see where the road use to continue.

we had a few obstacles of our own to negotiate!

 

It was back to the road, a quick cycle across the Fox River Bridge to the South Side Walk/cycleway to get a bit closer to the glacier.  This is a great track to cycle (6.4km return).  You have to dismount and walk the last 10 minutes to get to the final lookout.

we cycled across the Fox River Bridge to tackle the trail to view the Fox Glacier

 

As with all glaciers, it’s retreating at a fast rate.  A glimpse of the top is the best we can get now.  Make sure to visit these glaciers as soon as possible as they will no longer be around for our future generations.

thanks to the ‘ever moving’ Alpine Gardens, this is as close to the Fox Glacier that we can get

Double Lake Day

When travelling to or through Fox Glacier township, one of the most popular stops is the incredibly reflective Lake Matheson. But did you know about the detour off the loop track to Lake Gault?  Well, before my research, I didn’t know either!

the sign at the start of the Lake Matheson Walk doesn’t mention Lake Gault, you need to start walking in an anti-clockwise direction for about 20 minutes before you come across the first sign indicating where the track detours off to the right

we set off around the lake and sure enough, came across the sign to Lake Gault

 

You may have not heard of it before.  It could be because the track was only re-opened in 2019 after a 20-year closure.  This is thanks to the efforts of local volunteers.  It was then upgraded in 2020 as part of a package to sustain tourism in the area.

some of the wee treasures we found along the way – the rare werewere-kōkako – or Entoloma Hochstetteri – is native to NZ. If you’re flush enough to have a crisp $50 banknote in hand, you might notice a distinctive pair of blue mushrooms sprouting out the side, this is it in the flesh!!

rock art along the side of the trail

 

To be fair, out of the 1-hour walk in, 45 minutes of it was uphill. There were a few ‘oh look at the view’ rest stops (even if there wasn’t a view!!!).  It gave my lungs a chance to catch up. 

it’s hard to take a bad photo of Lake Gault and even better when there isn’t a soul around

 

The rewards for our sweat??? The most amazing, reflective, deep blue lake, all to ourselves. The silence was deafening, the stillness was euphoric.

Dining Alfresco

Scotty set up the jet burner for a coffee, and we dined out on re-dehydrated beef teriyaki. Better than any alfresco restaurant dining.

our jet burner is light, easy to carry and boils water in less than 3 minutes!

why do coffee and food taste so much better when surrounded by views like this?

money can’t buy you a seat with views like this!

On return to the Lake Matheson trail, we continued to complete the loop around the lake back to the Carpark. By this time the clouds had rolled in and Lake Matheson was looking less than its usual reflective self. Total distance hiked…. 13.5 km.

by the time we got back to Lake Matheson, it had ‘lost its shine’ as the sun had gone and misty rain had started to fall

we certainly needed refuelling after our day of hiking, we spent a very enjoyable evening at The Cook Saddle Cafe and Saloon

Keep an eye out for the publishing of our final Westward Ho instalment…..coming soon.