Day 18: Franz Josef
With Aoraki/Mount Cook (New Zealand’s highest mountain) twinkling behind the glaciers, Franz Josef is about as beautiful a setting as you can find in New Zealand.
Te Wāhi Pounamu (which means ‘the place of greenstone’ in Māori) is the name given to this part of the West Coast because of the abundance of pounamu (greenstone/jade) to be found here. Included in your tour today is a special opportunity to carve your very own pounamu pendant at a local gallery.
There are heaps of ways to enjoy Franz Josef Glacier; weather permitting, to get up onto the bluest ice you can take a scenic helicopter flight and hike onto the glaciers. Or maybe you’d prefer to kayak on a glacial lake.
As well as the awesome glacier activities you could also try out skydiving and even a bit of group karaoke tonight in Franz Josef!
INCLUDED
- Breakfast
- Carve your own pounamu necklace
- Day 1: Auckland to Paihia
- Day 2: Paihia
- Day 3: Paihia to Auckland
- Day 4: Auckland to Coromandel
- Day 5: Coromandel to Rotorua
- Day 6: Rotorua
- Day 7: Rotorua to Murupara
- Day 8: Murupara to Taupō
- Day 9: Taupō
- Day 10: Taupō to Wellington
- Day 11: Wellington to Kaikōura
- Day 12: Kaikōura to Christchurch
- Day 13: Christchurch to MacKenzie Country
- Day 14: MacKenzie Country to Queenstown
- Day 15: Queenstown
- Day 16: Queenstown to Wanaka
- Day 17: Wanaka to Franz Josef
- Day 18: Franz Josef
- Day 19: Franz Josef to Punakaiki
- Day 20: Punakaiki
- Day 21: Punakaiki to Abel Tasman
- Day 22: Abel Tasman
- Day 23: Abel Tasman to Wellington