Fox Glacier

View in an ice cave kirstenandalec/Flickr (Creative Commons)

View from an ice cave cesar/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Inside an ice cave zakhenry/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Glacier between the mountains ajturner/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Glacier between the mountains anthonycramp/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Pool on the glacier rickcox/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Peaks on the glacier traitlinburke/Flickr (Creative Commons)

View from an ice cave anoldent/Flickr (Creative Commons)

janenearing (Atlas Obscura User)

A more complete view of Fox Glacier from the View Point. Loo (Atlas Obscura User)

Current view of Fox Glacier, as close as you can get hiking in. Still very worth the hike. Loo (Atlas Obscura User)

Fox Glacier from the viewpoint, January 2018 rachelhw (Atlas Obscura User)

rebogamy (Atlas Obscura User)

The 8.1 miles of the Fox Glacier in New Zealand’s Westland Tai Poutini National Park form an ever-transforming terrain of ice caves and glacial terminal that is bordered on all sides by rainforests and mountains.

Along with its neighbor Franz Josef Glacier, it’s one of the world’s most accessible glaciers for exploring, and regular guided tours are available. The glacier has been advancing since 1985 after decades of retreating, and with all the movement and melting stunning ice caves have been revealed.

However, gorgeous as it is, solo wandering is not allowed as there is a danger of ice breaks and rockfalls that in the past have proved fatal.

Know Before You Go

You must take a tour; you can not access it without either flying on a plane that can land on ice or land with helicopter. The hike to the viewing point is easy and it's still impressive. Highly recommended is a better view of the glacier via the Viewing Point, past the carpark.

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