Hiking Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand [360-Degree Panorama]
Filed Under: One minute, you’re in the center of the town of Franz Josef, a cafe on one side of you, a pizzeria on the other. Then, within minutes, you are transported to another world. Your helicopter pops up into the air, through jagged mountain crags, just before dropping you into the heart of a glacier, an otherworldly ice field of turquoise blues and glowing whites.
This was Franz Josef Glacier.
During our visit, weather conditions were not the best. We were pelted by windswept drizzle. It didn’t much matter, though. Our earlier trip had been canceled thanks to changing weather, and we were thrilled just to be where we were. We made it. We were on the glacier, Franz Josef Glacier. And this in itself was a victory.
With crampons strapped to the soles of my shoes, I felt like superwoman on that ice. I climbed uphill and downhill, through tunnels and over ice fields — gripping myself into all that the ice had to offer.
Once I got my footing, I rarely looked down into the path left by the metal spikes of my shoes. My head spun, I continually looked up, looked around. There was simply far too much to take in while trying to come to terms with the fact that I was standing on a dazzling ice field in the middle of the mountains of New Zealand.
I’ll never forget the turquoise light that seemed to emanate from that ice. It seemed a way, nature’s way, of delivering at once beauty and mystery and an adventure I’ll never forget.
Open up the panorama to full screen to see for yourself.
Panorama: Hiking Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand
For best panorama viewing results, press fullscreen (four arrows) and navigate around with your mouse.
Practical Details for Hiking Franz Josef Glacier
We took the Ice Explorer trip through Franz Josef Glacier Guides NZ. This trip includes a short helicopter ride (5 minutes) up to the glacier and around 3 hours of hiking on the ice (weather permitting). We chose this tour because it gave us the most time on the glacier. You can also choose scenic helicopter tours or a heli-hike that has more time in the air and less time on the ice.
Tours get canceled at the first sign of the weather turning bad for safety reasons (you really don’t want to be in a helicopter in bad weather!). The earlier in the morning that you have your tour slot, the more likely the weather will be good. Our suggestion is to book early morning slots online in advance to try and decrease the weather cancellation factor. Our glacier guide also suggested that winter (June-July) is the best time to see the glacier as the weather is usually clear and the turquoise of the ice takes on crazy bright colors.
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Disclosure: Our New Zealand Encompassed Tour is provided by G Adventures in cooperation with its Wanderers in Residence program. Our flights were kindly sponsored by Air New Zealand. As always, the opinions expressed here are entirely our own.
March 10th, 2013 at 9:11 am
So excited to be going there in a couple of weeks! Awesome panorama.
March 10th, 2013 at 5:45 pm
@Kristin: So great that you’ll be at Franz Josef in a couple of weeks. Try to book an early morning spot. Hope the weather is great!
March 11th, 2013 at 10:57 am
It is an extraordinary concept in which people can experience the wonders of Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand without having to go there. I hope you could make some more panoramic views on different places.
March 11th, 2013 at 12:02 pm
@John: Although our 360-degree panoramas are great for imagining that you’re there yourself, they still can’t replace the chill of the cold and the blue of the ice. As for other panoramas, you can check them all out here. Think there’s probably about 20-30 countries represented: http://www.uncorneredmarket.com/category/photography/panorama/ Enjoy!
March 11th, 2013 at 12:29 pm
The franz josef glacier looks so epic!
March 11th, 2013 at 2:51 pm
@Jam: It is pretty darn epic. So cool taking the helicopter up there as well.
March 11th, 2013 at 9:54 pm
Wow, it looks beautiful up there! That must have been quite the adventure…New Zealand sounds awesome
Cheers!
March 12th, 2013 at 10:32 am
@Dariece: We had high expectations for New Zealand, and they were far exceeded. There are so many stunning places and adventures like this. Yet they are only a few hours from each other. There’s so much squeezed into such a small place.
March 14th, 2013 at 3:39 am
Hi Audrey, sounds like an awesome trip. After reading your post and looking at that panorama I will be putting on to my ‘to do’ list.
March 14th, 2013 at 7:24 am
@Terry: Our New Zealand trip was pretty awesome, in the true sense of that often over-used word. Really loved every angle of it. And I highly recommend trying to get up on Franz Josef Glacier – just incredible!
March 19th, 2013 at 7:17 am
Great post! I hiked almost the entire way up to reach the glaciers but the conditions were so bad we couldn’t continue to the top
thanks for putting a 360 up to see
March 20th, 2013 at 9:27 pm
New zealand is so pretty. So little population with so much of beautiful landscape. Franz Josef glacier is amazing.
Dee
March 24th, 2013 at 9:32 am
Okay, you’ve done it. Next time I’ll DEFINITELY go to south island!! Thanks for a great post.
Looks like you’re going strong.. where are you headed next?
All the best,
Kamiel & Yeon…. & Miru our daughter
March 25th, 2013 at 5:41 am
@Rebecca: The conditions on the glacier change so quickly. We were really fortunate just to get up at all – our previous attempts were all canceled. Glad this 360-degree panorama provided a glimpse into what was waiting for you at the top!
@Dee: New Zealand’s South Island has only about a million people. Really incredible how small the population is when you consider the size of the island. It’s a beautiful place.
@Kamiel: Glad to hear that you & Yeon are doing well. And congratulations on the birth of your daughter! Yes, South Island is definitely worth a visit next time. So much to see and do in a relatively small place.
March 28th, 2013 at 10:04 am
[...] Franz Josef, NZ: Dan and Audrey from Uncornered Market create an amazing 360 panorama in Hiking Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand [360-Degree Panorama] [...]
May 14th, 2013 at 9:39 am
[...] surreal blue of Franz Josef Glacier from afar, it’s another to strap crampons to your boots and get amongst it. And that’s exactly what we did at Franz Josef [...]