The mountainous terrain of New Zealand is home to over 3,000 glaciers. Here are 6 well known glaciers that you should visit today!
All but 18 of the glaciers are located on the South Island (although only 6 of those 18 are larger than 1 hectare). The only exceptions are those 18, which are around the volcanic massif of Mt. Ruapehu in the center of the North Island. Mt. Ruapehu has three ski fields from which you can see the glaciers. Most of the thousands on the South Island are not very large, but some, such as the Tasman Glacier, are huge.
I Love Glaciers – They’re Mind Boggling!
I’ll readily admit that I have a fascination with glaciers. I’ve read lots of books about glaciers, including stories by John Muir about how glaciers carved up Yosemite Valley in California, USA. Those tales by Muir left a deep impression on me about the power of these massive blocks of moving ice.
Since then I’ve seen movies about the horrors of falling into a crevasse on a glacier or people being crushed by ice on their way to climb Mt. Everest.
All of those books and movies left a deep impression on me. Every time I see a glacier I’m awed that these giant, slow moving blocks of ice can shape the landscape so much. Now, it’s crazy to see how much glaciers around the world and New Zealand are shrinking.
Here are 6 iconic and memorable New Zealand glaciers you should visit.
6 New Zealand Glaciers
Fox Glacier
This is located on the west coast of the South Island and with Franz Joseph are the two most visited glaciers. It travels about 13 km, with the melt water forming the Fox River.
Franz Joseph Glacier
This is the other of the two big glaciers to visit on the South Island. You can take a walk up to view the glacier for free or you can pay for a guided trip to or on the glacier.
Hooker Glacier
This glacier is below Mt. Cook and melts into Hooker Lake. There is a great walk, the Hooker Valley, that leads up to the lake where this glacier melts.
Tasman Glacier
This is the biggest glacier in New Zealand. It’s about 23 km long and covers 100 square kilometers! It is situated below Mt. Cook and melts into Tasman Lake.
Rob Roy Glacier
This is a smaller glacier that is located near Lake Wanaka. You can take a nice hike along the Rob Roy Track in Mt. Aspiring National Park to see it.
Mangatoetoenui Glacier
This is one of the three bigger and well known glaciers on Mt. Ruapehu. This one can be visited in the winter by hiking/skinning up above the Whakapapa ski field. It moves much slower than the glaciers on the South Island.