Wonderful tour up the river this morning. Beautiful weather certainly enhanced the amazing scenery but I think any weather would highlight different aspects of this trip. Great informative commentary from Wayne and excellent apricot scones. Thank you for a very memorable trip.

It is worth stopping at the Centre to visit the exhibition covering the history of the Haast and West Coast area's of New Zealand. The exhibition is well presented with both physical and videos displays.

This was our favorite thrill experience on the entire South Island! The jet boat was so much fun and we loved it so much that we wanted to go again. The scenery that you see from the boat is GORGEOUS! The color of the water is magical and we really enjoyed our wilderness hike to the jet boat pickup spot. Did this as part of the Heli Siberia Max tour with Backcountry Helicopters and couldn't recommend it enough!! 10/10 one of the best experiences you could do in the area!! Book it already :)

Do some spray before beginning 😂 lots of friends loving your skin , 😉. It's a great walk and scenic view. If you are lucky enough u may see dolphins. U may see the sea on one side and the other side is greenery .I would say u can spend at least 2 hrs if you want to play on the beach or walk on the track .

Lovely drive even in the rain. Make sure you stop to view the falls

Brilliant trip with a delightful guide. Glad it was enclosed. Highly recommended. Would do it again.

Pls bring binoculars if you have one as u will be lucky to see whales there.we saw but not enough time to snap it as it was going down . A great view for a big rock. Usually u will only spend like 10min for a break as there is a toilet as well.

Driving along the Haast Highway is a stunning experience. The road winds through the wide Haast River valley, switching between left and right banks with forested slopes and waterfalls tumbling down the cliffs. There are only a few villages, but plenty of scenic stops where the landscape shifts from rainforest to rocky riverbeds. A highlight is Thunder Creek Falls, just a five-minute walk from the roadside. The 28m waterfall drops in a single line through lush forest, crashing onto rocks with a thunderous sound. Clear streams, fresh air, and fewer crowds make it a perfect short stop for families.

Absolutely beautiful beach with strong waves hitting the unique rock formations. One of my favorite places. This is a secluded spot. The feel of the mist from the waves is something else and the air is clear. There are sandflies that bite so I recommend long sleeves and long pants. The hike through woods to get to the beach is worth it and not too long and is mostly flat.

Our helicopter flight to the glacier has been the highlight of our trip to date. From the get go the staff were helpful and friendly and gave us all the information we needed. The flight itself with Greg was simply amazing. The landing on the glacier was amazing and was the first time my hubby has seen snow, so it was pretty special. There was plenty of time to have a good look around, throw a couple of snowballs and take some great photos. We really enjoyed the experience and thank all of the staff for making it so memorable for us!

Very nice walk around the lake. It’ll cost you about 1,5 hours in total. And if you’re lucky you can make the perfect reflection picture. I was not 😅 But still enjoyed this walk very much. The path is just wonderful.

Well done and informative movies. Interesting museum with artifacts and a lovely cafe.

From the car park, it takes about 30 minutes to reach Kea Point after a fairly easy walk that anyone who is in normal shape, can do. It is just a little bit uphill. We were unfortunate and saw clouds the whole time. When there are no clouds, the views must be phenomenal. At the viewpoint there are a few benches where you can eat your lunch at.

It was amazing! 😍 Altough or probably because I was disappointed at the first moment when I was at the Tasman Lake View Point (I expected blue water & white Glacier) - the Boat Tour was so awesome! It was really interesting to hear why it looks like it looks (grey water & stones Glacier). And of course the Glacier pieces in the Lake were stunning!!!

It's a cool walk. Go early in the morning. We were done by 11am. On the way back, the path was full of people of all ages. And the number of cars, caravans and buses was incredible. The cars just lined the road since there is limited parking right at the beginning of the trail.

I visited this track today and really enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the way — the views are definitely worth it! Unfortunately, the track was closed about halfway through, just before the second swinging bridge, which was a bit disappointing. One thing to note: I saw lots of people wearing casual sneakers and slipping around on the icy parts of the trail like ice skaters. If you’re planning to go, I highly recommend wearing proper hiking or winter shoes. It makes a big difference and helps you feel much more confident walking on the ice and snow.

We had an incredible experience with Fox Glacier Guiding on our Heli Hike! We were lucky to have a bluebird day with stunning views from the helicopter flight through the valley up to the Glacier where we got to spend about 3 hours on the ice. The guides were all lovely and made the experience safe and fun! We got to slide and crawl through tunnels, explore crevasses and visit some beautiful blue pools. Just being on the ice and seeing the different formations up close was amazing. Thanks so much to Fox Glacier Guiding, would 100% recommend this adventure!

It's hard to put my experience with Skydive Fox Glacier into words, but I have a lot of them so will share. It was honestly the most exhilarating, beautiful and mind-blowing experience of my life - and I could not recommend it more highly. This has been ranked as the second most scenic skydive IN THE WORLD, second only to Mt Everest haha! Once you're up in the plane admiring the view, you'll understand why. That said, one of our tandem instructors said he's jumped Everest few times and he actually prefers Fox - because you start at sea level here, you get to fly higher. Obviously Everest starts at a much higher altitude, which restricts the height at which you can jump from. That makes this (arguably) the best skydive in the world!!! Everything was perfect from go to woe, but I'll break down in detail... Starting with the booking process - I booked two skidives, one for me and one for my fiancé Ben, online. Communication with Sarah (who I later learned is one of the pilots!) was great from the get-go, and the website was easy to use. I actually changed my skydive day from Wednesday to Thursday about a week out, and this request was accommodated without complaint. On the day of our jump, we were picked up by the Fox Glacier Skydive bus outside out accommodation in Franz Josef right on time. Our driver (and owner of the company) told us that we were about to embark on the most dangerous part of the day: driving from Franz Josef to Fox Glacier haha! An absolute skydiving expert, he provided some great insight on the drive. I was very reassured to learn that the owner of Fox Glacier Skydive actually heads up the board foe skydiving safety across NZ!! Rest assured you're in the safest possible hands jumping with these guys. Once we arrived at the drop zone, we were giving a safety briefing and given the opportunity to purchase photo/video options. I would highly recommend the combo package! The photos and video you get are extremely high quality and a perfect way to remember your day. The only slight downer on my day was the guy who was working reception when we arrived. I later learned he's also a pilot for the company, so maybe he was just upset to be on desk duty? He seemed extremely grumpy and like my questions were frustrating him. I will say he cheered up once the morning 'rush' checking everyone in was over. The jump itself was PHENOMENAL!! We jumped from 13,000 feet, and the view from up there was honestly insane. We could see snowcapped mountains (in April, no less), Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, Fox Glacier river coming down through the rainforest and into the farmland, and then out into the ocean. Simply stunning. My tandem buddy Nico was fantastic. I was quite nervous but he set my mind at ease, making it an extremely enjoyable experience. He even landed me ON MY FEET!! I got into the brace position but then as we came in to land he was like "Actually, just stand up," and I landed firmly on two feet. Incredible. I cannot thank him enough. Nico also produced an awesome video for me to remember the day with!! Sorry for the long review, but I really want the world to know how great these guys are. We were blown away and could not provide a higher recommendation if we tried. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Absolutely breathtaking! The views of Aoraki/Mt Cook are unforgettable — towering peaks, turquoise glacial lakes, and crisp alpine air. The Hooker Valley Track is a must-do, with stunning scenery from start to finish. Great facilities, clear trails, and plenty of photo spots. An unmissable highlight of New Zealand’s South Island! P.s. Walking up to a morning snow ❄️ was just breathtaking 😍.

There are 2 options: self-guided or a VIP backstage guided tour. We chose the former as it allows 48 hour access and seemed sufficient. Currently there are two kiwi birds at the facility. Excellent and informative displays. The Centre also includes information on glacial ice and how it forms. Definitely a worthwhile experience!

We did this walk late this morning, through to early afternoon. It took us over 2 hours, but we were stopping to admire the bush and the birds. And when we got to the top, the cloud was clearing and we got great views of some snow-capped mountains (glaciers). Recommended, provided your fitness level (knees etc) allows for some steep inclines. The path is well set out.

If you are motivated for a true wildlife encounter, then Ian’s tour is the place to see a wild kiwi and one of the rarest species at that. Ian was very particular in his requirements (no polyester, phones, cameras etc) and explaining how we would work together as a team to stand a chance of seeing the Kiwis. His opening salvo was very much “if you are not 100% motivated to stand patiently in the dark with a team of strangers being bothered by mosquitoes to potentially catch a sight of a kiwi, don’t come as you will screw it up for the rest!”. Ian’s information and guidance was interesting and clear, including knowing all the names mating groups in the area. Thanks to great teamwork, after sometime we managed to first hear the mating pair call to one another, then hear crunching around and then see a wild Kiwi, which was magical encounter as it crossed the path through the forest. As a keen photographer, I was sad not to be able to take my camera, however no regrets here as I would have missed out on truly taking the citing in and dark conditions make photography extremely challenging. I recommend taking the mosquito net to have as a back up rather than leaving it and regretting - they were out in force!

Wow is this a must. Wife and I had a rainy lagoon all to ourselves and the crew here took such good care of us. The wildlife and the lagoon is such a site to behold. Getting set up in the morning the crew got us ready and feeling super confident. Such a great time. Highly recommend.

My husband and I were lucky enough to get a seat on the river safari. Magic morning with not a breath of wind. We were greeted at the boat and issued with life jackets and a set of binoculars each couple. Everyone introduced themselves then we set off with plenty of informative information on the area and bird life. Morning tea of tea coffee and home baked cookies was provided. We would certainly recommend this trip and was the highlight of our travels down south with plenty of photos of the beautiful white herons as a bonus🤩