- NZ Road Trip – South Island – 21 & 22
- Hasst – Fox Glacier – Franz Josef – Reefton – Kaikoura
- Saturday 14th – Sunday 15th March 2026
Next, we headed into glacier country on the rugged West Coast of the South Island. This is a place where rainforest, mountains and ice collide. Iโve always loved glaciers, so seeing Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier had been on my list for a long time.
On the drive north we made a stop to stretch our legs on the beautiful Monro Beach Walk.
The walk takes you through a stunning stretch of West Coast rainforest before opening out onto a wild, rugged beach.
Itโs around a 1.5-hour return walk and the rainforest section alone is worth it, towering trees, dense greenery and that slightly magical feeling you get walking through ancient forest.
The beach itself is known as a place where you can sometimes spot Little Penguin coming ashore.
Sadly that wasnโt our luck on this visit.
What we did encounter, however, were the infamous West Coast sandfliesโฆ and plenty of them. Letโs just say they were a lot easier to find than the penguins.
Still, it was a brilliant stop on the drive and a reminder of just how wild and untouched this coastline feels.
Heading to Franz Josef was a bit of a commitment for us and a long drive to get there. We then had a long drive facing us afterwards as we basically had to leave the west side of the south island to cross over to the east side as we wanted to reach Kaikoura. But we felt it would be worth the effort.
Did I mention that I absolutely love glaciers. Thereโs something incredible about them, ancient, powerful and constantly changing. A relative of mine had actually walked on Franz Josef Glacier many years ago and I had seen some pictures. I already knew how dramatically it had retreated over time since then. But still, I really wanted to see it with my own eyes.
These days, the glacier is much further back in the valley. From the main viewpoint near the car park you can still see it, but itโs far away compared to how it once was.
So if we wanted a proper look without taking a helicopter, there was only one option – the harder, longer, more natural way.
We hiked.
We chose the Roberts Point Track, a demanding 5โ6 hour hike through dense rainforest and steep mountain terrain. The route was brilliant.
We had ladders, scrambling sections, swing bridges and one section I can only describe as stairs bolted onto the side of a mountain, hanging out over thin air. It was equal parts exhilarating and slightly terrifying, but we loved it.
But when we finally reached the viewpoint, every step was worth it.
Standing there looking out across the glacier was incredible. I love glaciers, but they always leave me with mixed emotions. Theyโre beautiful, but you can also see the meltwater pouring from them, a constant reminder that theyโre slowly disappearing right in front of our eyes.
One thing that really struck me here was the number of helicopter flights. This is just my personal view, but the constant stream of helicopters flying overhead felt hard to ignore. I completely understand their importance if for research, mountaineering access and rescue work. But many seemed to be ferrying tourists up for quick photo stops or short walks on the ice purely for photo stops!!
Given how dramatically the glacier has retreated, it felt surprising that there were so many. Throughout our travels across New Zealand weโve been in awe of the countryโs commitment to protecting its landscapes, biodiversity and wild spaces. Here there are signs encouraging visitors to help protect the environment – things like reducing plastic use, which is great. But watching and hearing helicopters continuously passing overhead during such a fragile moment in the glacierโs history did make me wonder whether reducing those flights could make a difference.
Anywayโฆ environmental thoughts aside, the landscape itself was absolutely incredible and worth the visit and the climb.
When we had first arrived the day before, we had originally planned to hike to Fox Glacier, but low cloud had appeared and completely covered so the plan had to change. So after our long hike at Franz Josef, we still had just enough energy left in our legs to try again.
And we just made the hike up to the Fox Glacier viewpoint before the cloud rolled back in. Once again, this, too, was stunning. I can stand for ages looking at places like this, completely mesmerised, and both times, I almost had to drag myself away.
The next morning we wandered into the little village of Franz Josef for coffee, breakfast and a bit of atmosphere. The town has a bit of a buzz about it, though almost every second shop seemed to be selling helicopter glacier tours, I say no more!
Before leaving, though, I insisted on one last stop back at Franz Josef glacier viewpoint. Andy wasnโt entirely thrilled as we were already running slightly behind schedule (his schedule, not mine), but some things just have to be done. And this was one of them.
After that it was back on the road.
We stopped for coffee in Reefton before continuing across the island to the coastal town of Kaikลura.
We arrived in Kaikoura around 9 pm under an enormous sky. After parking up, we wandered down to the beach and sat there quietly until midnight, watching the stars and galaxies.
I love a night sky, especially in places far from city lights and this one was spectacular. A huge canopy of stars stretching across the darkness, the ocean quietly rolling in beside us.
It was the perfect end to a very big day.
That night, we slept under this huge sky, falling asleep to the sound of the waves.
Mary's Outdoor Adventure's 