We took the Flying Fox helihike at $425 per person. As the weather forecast was rain, we were told…read moreupfront that we would get a full refund if the flight is cancelled, 60% if we were flown there but not allowed to hike and 30% if the hike was less than an hour. Thankfully we had weather good enough to fly and hike for an hour or so. We were provided waterproof pants, jacket, crampons and hiking socks and shoes. Our guide Larn was very helpful and tried to make the visit as interesting for us as possible, creating photo opportunities which were delightful! We felt very safe and had a great morning. The only bummer being that we had to cut short our hike as the pilots anticipated bad weather. Highly recommended if you've not been on a glacier.

Visiting Fox Glacier and nearby Franz Josef Glacier will be a highlight for any visitor to New…read moreZealand. We signed up for the Flying Fox. It's not cheap, around £150 each but incredibly good value for a helicopter ride and fully guided tour on the glacier. The set-up is extremely professional. You can book online, at the tourist office or directly at the office in the village. Trips go most days but because of the helicopter flight check in the morning to ensure no adverse weather will delay or cancel the trip. First off you take a bus down to the helicopter pad about 5 minutes away. You're kitted out with proper ice boots and crampons and given a health and safety demo and check. Then it's off into the helicopter for a short 10 minute flight up the glacier. The pilot will point out a few things and then land you on the ice - pretty impressive. You meet up with your guide who then shows you how to put your crampons on and walk on the ice. You get around three hours on the ice, which is plenty of time to see ice caves, take some pretty cool photos and have a play around. Our guide, Willy, was excellent and had extremely good knowledge of the glacier. The helicopter comes back to pick you up and your day is complete! Expect to have some achy muscles the next day. Your pictures will be amazing and you'll have some good stories to tell your friends.

We did the Heli-Hike and highly recommend FJ Glacier guides for your next adventure! They were very…read moreorganized and punctual. Our guide Jule was amazing. The helicopter ride to the glacier was so much fun! The glacier hike itself was probably about 1-1.5 miles over 2 hours interspersed with stories about glaciers, ice and lots of pictures. We got to eat some ice, drink fresh glacier water, explore the beauty of the glacier surrounded by rocky mountains, and get some steps in. The helicopter ride back was also awesome! It was pretty reasonably priced for everything they provided. I would recommend this to anyone that plans to go to Franz Josef!

We accidentally went to the glacier trail and had to make our way back to the office in order to…read morefill out paperwork and meet our guide. At the center, we were greeted by a very friendly staff and our guide who took us to get suited up. They have boots and rain jackets as well as hiking poles and pants. Our entire group used their boots and jackets and many used their poles. (Note: the jackets are kinda gross smelling so bring your own. They said they get washed once a month. Eww.) We were then shuttle down to the glacier and had a tour by Jara, a young guy who's been out in the area about two years. He was very knowledgeable about the glacier and the botanicals, showing us some plant edibles and other science-y facts. Unfortunately the glacier was shrouded in clouds and we really couldn't see much. To be honest, I was pretty unimpressed and did not have the time available to do a helicopter tour or glacier hike. Because it cleared up the next day and I had pretty good views of the glacier from the hotel, it probably would've been really amazing if the weather had cooperated. That was not the company's fault but just be aware. After a six hour drive to get there I was pretty annoyed that our two hour walk yielded a disappointing experience. I also did not get to use their hot pools but that sounded cool.

"Oh, show me 'round your snow-peaked mountains way down South…read moreCome and keep your comrade warm" (The Beatles) As our tour bus approached the Mt. Cook mountain range, we saw New Zealand's highest mountain- over 12,000 feet high. Mt. Cook and the Tasman Glacier are in massive ice and snow-capped mountain ranges. Our hotel for tonight was the Hermitage, located in Mt. Cook National Park. It's a self- contained gigantic complex of two interconnected buildings with a gorgeous bar and lounge overlooking the mountains. Our room had two very small twin beds and little furniture. The big wall where the tv was fastened had almost nothing else, no dressers, desk, etc. Check out my photos. What the room did have was an an amazing view of Mt. Hood from our rear patio. The hotel includes a museum on Sir Edmund Hillary, the NZ explorer that climbed Mt. Everest. The food at the Hermitage was amazing. Our group enjoyed a buffet dinner here, and I passed up their bounty of roast meats for sushi and dumplings. The breakfast buffet included everything and more. It included something new- Japanese omelets. The eggs were paper thin, almost like a crepe. They were cut into wedges with a lot of greenery in there, and I'm not sure if that was spinach or seaweed, but I did like it.

We had a great hotel and restaurant experience. Sadly the weather wasn't cooperating; it was…read moreextremely rainy and windy. So we didn't get to do much outside. The in house theater was great with stories about Mt Cook and Sir Hilary. They played throughout the day and you could come and go as you pleased. The dinner buffet was so big!!! So much to choose from and it was all delicious. At least 30+ items to choose from. I especially liked the fried chicken nuggets. Haha, a little taste of McDonalds. But they were hot, crunchy and fresh out of the fryer. They were actually really really good! The breakfast buffet is also large and excellent. Every breakfast item you can think of. I don't usually like buffets but this hotel did them very very well. Being stuck inside all day isn't so bad when you have all this food to choose from.

We booked the small room. The bathroom is a good size, but the room space is very small for two…read morepeople. Our room had two twin beds. There is no closet and limited space to put suitcases. The room was clean. Parking is in front of the room. We added the breakfast. It had many hot options and you can order basic cooked eggs. Omelettes and fancy coffee drinks were extra. The free coffee machine made instant coffee. There is fresh fruit. You have a view of the mountains from the restaurant. There is a fireplace in the lobby and restaurant. Staff was friendly. There are no other amenities like a pool, hot tub, bbq grill, etc.

This was probably the most disappointing place we stayed on our NZ trip. It looks nice and the…read morelocation is great, but when you have driven 5 hours to get here and arrive at 4.15pm to be told that your room is not ready was not a good start. We were offered a free drink and told that it would be ready in half an hour. After an hour had passed with no update, we discovered that the concierge lady we had dealt with had gone off duty without leaving instructions, and the replacement had no idea that we were even waiting for a room. After demanding to speak to the manager, they suddenly managed to find a room for us but were completely unapologetic for the delay. Due to a large party of Asian guests arriving at the same time (who all mysteriously had rooms available), we couldn't get a restaurant booking until 8.30pm, and even then we had to wait until after 9pm to get service. The rooms are small with little storage space. There is a lounge area and kitchen downstairs with the bedroom upstairs, but on getting our luggage up the rather small staircase there was nowhere to put it, so we ended up leaving it downstairs. Wi-Fi allowance was a mere pittance at 250MB for the duration of the stay. Barely enough to check email. I'm giving it two stars because of the views, but had it been located elsewhere it would only be worth one.

Great location. Fun place to stay. Bring a nightlight for the top of the stairs for those trips to…read morethe bathroom (downstairs) at night. Host was friendly and even gave me an extra towel for my hair. :) We went on the Glo Worm Hike. It was cool to see them, but was difficult to hear the guide if you were more than 6-8 people behind her. Missed out on fun facts about them and the area. But, worth it just to see them. Squat down and look up! Minor note: why is the outlet closest to the bathroom too far away (outside the bathroom) for the provided hair dryer?

Simple, yet flavorsome, food. We started with an entrée…read moreof green lipped mussels in a delicious garlic butter sauce. For mains, we had bangers and mash, with 3 chubby venison sausages and the lamb shank, that just fell off the bone. And make sure you try a Monteith's black beer, deliciously smooth. A good value meal that's not overpriced.

Travel to New Zealand. It's half hostel and half motel with…read morea nice restaurant serving breakfast, lunch & dinner. Don't expect much when you book here. It's a room with a bed, chair and en suite. There's a hot water maker with tea and coffee supplies but we found a dead moth and half filled smelly caraffe. The cups were also dirty. Be careful. There's enough for you to survive but I can't say I was comfortable since we killed 3 moths, 2 big flying insects that looked like mosquitoes & found a dead roach on my pillow. You do have use of the kitchen facilities in the hostel side which is great but it got really crowded and dirty with all the people staying here using it. Location is great since it's in the heart of the small town. We walked to and from, everywhere but it took us only 2 minutes to the farthest town destination. It was a bargain but I would have spent more on nicer accommodations. If you're there just to sleep overnite, this place is great for the price.

This place was a gem! Had the avocado chicken salad as well as a side of the sweet chili and aioli…read morefries and my mate had a burger with wedges. It was all phenomenal! The waitress was very kind and attentive and the other staff behind the bar were also friendly and helpful.

I stayed at the collocated hotel and ate here a few years ago. While doing so, I had the best lamb…read moreI've ever had. So when I came back to Fox Glacier, I had to come back and have some more of that delicious lamb. Bottom line? They came through again. We each ordered the lamb shank. You can get either one or two; I got one and found it to be enough. The lamb came on the bone with some vegetables on the side. The lamb came with a savory sauce that had a touch of mint. The meat was very tender and practically fell off the bone. Once again, it was truly excellent. We ordered dessert and got the walnut brownies with a scoop of ice cream. They were quite good. Other than that, the service was great - I thought they were pretty fast in getting the food out. In the end, this place is great, and I'd absolutely recommend eating here. As for the lamb, it's still the best I've ever had.

Exceeded my expectations on all counts. All the shared facilities were very well kept and modern,…read moreincluding a TV room with bean bag chairs. The playground & trampoline were good for my son to get out energy after a long drive. Our cabin had comfortable beds. Very friendly staff. The one issue we encountered was the Wi-Fi didn't work...but that wasn't their fault, the entire town was out of service after the Waiho bridge washout!

From the owner: Fox Glacier TOP 10 Holiday Park offers a range of quality accommodation options to the travelling…read morepublic from studio, one & two bedroom motels and self contained units, cabins, lodge rooms and sites for campervans, RV's, caravans & tents.