Day 15: 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 or even a bit of group karaoke tonight in Franz Josef!
INCLUDED
- Breakfast
- Carve your own pounamu necklace
- Day 1: Auckland to Coromandel
- Day 2: Coromandel to Rotorua
- Day 3: Rotorua
- Day 4: Rotorua to Murupara
- Day 5: Murupara to Taupō
- Day 6: Taupō
- Day 7: Taupō to Wellington
- Day 8: Wellington to Kaikōura
- Day 9: Kaikōura to Christchurch
- Day 10: Christchurch to MacKenzie Country
- Day 11: MacKenzie Country to Queenstown
- Day 12: Queenstown
- Day 13: Queenstown to Wanaka
- Day 14: Wanaka to Franz Josef
- Day 15: Franz Josef
- Day 16: Franz Josef to Christchurch