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In the heartland of the West Coast, these two glaciers pour down from the mountains to the pounding surf of the Tasman Coast — nowhere else in the world, at this latitude, have glaciers advanced so close to the sea.

The two small and modern tourist villages, only 23 kilometres apart, serve as bases to explore these natural wonders, where helicopter excursions and hikes are the best ways to explore these amazing rivers of ice.

A number of different helicopter flight routes are possible which can include landing on the glacier and skirting the sheer slopes of Mount Cook.

Heli-hiking on the glaciers

You begin your experience at the glacier guiding base where you trade your shoes for sturdy leather boots and get kitted out with ice-walking gear. Your guide then takes you to the helipad where you board a helicopter for your spectacular flight up the valley sides and onto the glacier itself.

The Franz Josef and Fox glaciers are two of the fastest moving in the world, sometimes at a rate of up to 20 m a year. This means that the terrain is ever-changing as crevasses close and new ones open so your guide leads you on an unplanned route which is a true adventure.

Ice tunnels glow a deep blue colour and steps up the ice have to be hewn with a pickaxe. However, the two and a half hour walk is not overly demanding and suitable for anyone with a reasonable level of fitness.