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Description
Franz Josef / Waiau is a small town in the West Coast region of the South Island of New Zealand. In the world of glaciers, Franz Josef is something of a rock star.

From its origins high in the Southern Alps, the Franz Josef Glacier descends into the lush native rainforest of Westland's National Park. This descent occurs from a height of 3,000m above sea level to 240m over a distance of 11km, making it one of the steepest glaciers in the country.

It also moves faster than your average glacier at over 50cm per day, although speeds of up to four metres per day have been recorded in the main ice fall sections.

This creates some truly incredible features in the glacier such as ice caves, tunnels, seracs and crevasses; all of which are constantly changing and evolving so no two days are ever the same.

The Franz Josef Glacier offers visitors a rare opportunity to experience a dynamic glacial environment, in a temperate environment.

Description
Franz Josef / Waiau is a small town in the West Coast region of the South Island of New Zealand. In the world of glaciers, Franz Josef is something of a rock star.

From its origins high in the Southern Alps, the Franz Josef Glacier descends into the lush native rainforest of Westland's National Park. This descent occurs from a height of 3,000m above sea level to 240m over a distance of 11km, making it one of the steepest glaciers in the country.

It also moves faster than your average glacier at over 50cm per day, although speeds of up to four metres per day have been recorded in the main ice fall sections.

This creates some truly incredible features in the glacier such as ice caves, tunnels, seracs and crevasses; all of which are constantly changing and evolving so no two days are ever the same.

The Franz Josef Glacier offers visitors a rare opportunity to experience a dynamic glacial environment, in a temperate environment.