West Coast Famill

Fox Glacier Guiding is run on a world famous glacier offering a choice of guided trips for different demograph's, fitness levels and general interest. Located only 23kms south of Franz Joseph this exceptional glacier is a landform not to be missed for both international tourists and domestic tourists. Useful information and facts are included in a few websites giving you prior insight into the glacier. With New Zealand's most experienced glacier guides this not only reassures customers this is entirely safe, but also gives the customer satisfaction that guides are well equipped with a wide range of product knowledge.

There are variety of options to walk on the glaciers. Half day guided glacier walks suitable for a wide range of visitors, half or full day trips, guided heli hikes, overnight alpine trekking and the list goes on. It takes approximately four hours from Queenstown to Fox Glacier, if you don't have your own car buses and shuttles are available to and from Fox Glacier everyday with a timetable accessible .

The professional staff at the base made customers feel very welcome and did their best to make sure everyone was excited for their glacier adventure.

To begin the trip the guides will issue you with the correct equipment consisting of crampons for shoes and any rain jackets or bags that are potentially needed. The bus then picks you up, not knowing what exactly to expect. The friendly guides give background information on their experience up at the glaciers and talked through their past jobs. This was worth while as we got to know them on a personal level comparing similarities and interests.

Once we hoped off the bus we gathered at the car park and the guides indicated what was about to happen and the steps involved. To begin with we walked up a slight hill that was accessible to the public giving us a faint view of the glaciers in the distance. After our twenty minute walk up, we assembled as a group and the public viewing came to an end, however the view was still spectacular giving the public an extensive view of the glaciers. The surroundings were beautiful and would create a stunning picture. As we continued we put on our crampons giving much better grip on the ice preventing us from slipping. The crampons were very secure on the ice, making it a lot easier to walk and not having to worry about being unbalanced or stumbling.

Walking on the glaciers was an amazing adventure, the majority of people would not be doing this on a daily basis! The temperature wasn't as cold as expected, the guides recommended layering up bringing along a rain jacket in case of future weather changes. Along the way there were many opportunities to take photo's and often the guide happily offered to take some. Walking on the glaciers was reasonably easy, walking up and down various pathways exposed to crevasses. In the distance it was amazing to see just how big the glacier is and how far up the guided walks extend to. The approachable guides were well informed answering any questions or queries in relation to the glaciers, along with background history and pointing out areas where the glacier used to be. All questions were answered in depth along with giving us any additional information the guides thought was necessary. This proved their customer service knowledge was to a very high standard and this was demonstrated throughout.

From a travellers perspective this activity should not be missed as you wouldn't find a glacier this accessible to walk on. Prices for half a day trip costs $115.00 for an adult, $95.00 for a child or $325.00 for a family. As one of New Zealand's beautiful features nestled in small town, Fox Glacier is an extraordinary landmark providing us with not only a guided walk but also history and knowledge and most importantly memorable customer service skills that exceed visitor expectation. 2600 metres high in the Southern Alps this outstanding attraction brings in loads of tourists giving them not just the experience but also a captivating memory.


To view a shared experience view my friend Sheridan's blog.