Fox Glacier Travel Guide
Located on the west coast of New Zealands South Island, the Fox Glacier spans over 13 km. Interestingly, the name of Glacier was given in 1872 by the New Zealands then Prime Minister Sir William Fox, after he visited the region. The glacier is New Zealands largest that is readily available for commercial tours; there are several tour companies operating nearby.
Interestingly, the glacier ends amongst a wonderfully lush rainforest; it is one of the few glaciers to have this feature. This glacier is also unique as it is one of the only glaciers that is still advancing, averaging a rate of advance of around a metre per week.
The glacier is simply incredible to look at, and the views standing on the glacier are just as beautiful. However, although the glaciers aesthetics may be attractive, this region has a particularly gruesome history. On the 4th September 2010, a plane crashed at the Fox Glaciers nearby airport, kidding nine people.
Dont let this put you off coming to see the Fox Glacier though! In addition to the glacier itself, the Fox River is also worth a visit. It is known that during the last ice age, the glaciers ice overflowed beyond the current coastline of the river. When this eventually melted, the glacier left behind many moraines; one of these moraines went on to form Lake Matheson!
The Fox Glacier has an interesting history and provides plenty of natural phenomena for tourists to see. Although some of the glaciers history is far from pleasant, this doesnt stop tourists visiting this glacier in the thousands!