Franz Josef, NZ

Franz Josef's pan-Asian restaurant with the village's most consistent dinner kitchen and live music several nights a week. The casual evening choice.

Long-running pub-and-restaurant on the main street with the casual pub menu, a long taps list and the kind of room that fills with hikers after a day on the ice. The casual answer for a group.

Pizza-and-pub cafe on the main street, with the village's best pizzas and a deck for summer evenings. Family-friendly.

Speights pub branded restaurant on the main strip, with the regional brewery's full taps list and an honest pub menu. Reliable for a group.

Small craft brewery on the main strip with a tap-room style restaurant, house-brewed beers and a casual pub menu. The non-chain alternative for a beer-led evening.

Restaurant at the Scenic Hotel Franz Josef, with a polished sit-down dinner and the village's most grown-up evening room. The destination dinner.

A casual restaurant on the main strip in Fox Glacier village with a focus on burgers, ribeye steak, and slow-cooked lamb. The casual dinner option in the smaller Fox village.

A daytime cafe in Franz Josef with the village's best espresso and a tight breakfast and lunch menu. The morning stop before the glacier walk.

Western-style saloon and steakhouse on the main strip in Fox Glacier village, with big steaks, ribs and a long bar. Touristy but unironically fun.

A casual cafe in the visitor information centre on the main strip in Franz Josef, with a tight cabinet and reliable coffee. The walk-in lunch when you want something casual.

A modern cafe at the Lake Matheson carpark in Fox Glacier village, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the alps and a tight brunch menu. The post-Matheson lunch stop.

The standard 90-minute return walk up the glacial valley to the glacier viewing platform 750m from the terminal face. Flat, well-signed, free, and the only legal way to approach the glacier on foot.

The 90-minute return walk up the Fox glacial valley to a viewing platform near the terminal face. Less crowded than Franz Josef and equally dramatic.

Flat 1.4km loop around Lake Matheson with the country's most-photographed reflection of Mt Cook and Mt Tasman. Pram-friendly, well-signed, free.

A 5-hour return walk to a high lookout above the Franz Josef glacier valley, with the best view of the glacier from above. The earned alternative to the helicopter view.

A 90-minute return walk through old gold-mining tunnels in rainforest north of Franz Josef village, with glow worms in the tunnel ceilings after dusk. Family-friendly, bring a torch.

A 7-8 hour return summit walk on the ridge above Franz Josef village, with a panoramic view over the glacier and the Tasman Sea. Serious hiker territory.

A 90-minute return summit walk in Okarito 25 minutes north, with a panoramic view over the lagoon, the alps and the Tasman Sea. The under-the-radar summit option.

A 20-minute return walk from the Franz Josef glacier carpark to a high viewpoint over the glacier valley. Easier than Roberts Point, family-friendly.

Helicopter to a landing on the glacier, then a guided 2-3 hour walk on the ice with crampons and an experienced guide. The only legal way to walk on the glacier and the signature Franz Josef experience.

Half-hour scenic flight up both glaciers and the Tasman Glacier with a snow landing for photos near Mt Cook. The aerial way to see the alps from the West Coast.

Heated mineral pools in the rainforest just outside Franz Josef village, with three temperature sections. The right ending after a day on the ice.

Tandem skydive over the glaciers and the Southern Alps from up to 16,500ft. One of the most scenically dramatic skydives in the country.

Guided sea-kayak tours on Okarito Lagoon, with the chance to see kotuku (white herons) and the largest unmodified wetland in the country. Half-day, family-friendly.

Captive-breeding centre for the rarest of NZ's five kiwi species (rowi) on the main strip in Franz Josef, with hatchery viewing and a small interactive exhibit. Family-friendly.

After-dusk guided walk along the Tatare Tunnels or the Callery Gorge with the largest glow worm display in the village area. The casual after-dinner activity.

A jet boat tour 30 minutes north from Whataroa to the country's only mainland kotuku (white heron) breeding colony. October-March only.

Half-day quad bike tours through the rainforest and along the glacial flats, with views of the alps and the rivers. Family-friendly with younger kids on the back.

A 12km river of ice tumbling down a steep valley from the Southern Alps to within 200m of sea-level rainforest. The valley-floor walk gets you to a viewing platform 750m from the terminal face; helicopters and guided heli-hikes are the only way to walk on the ice. The defining sight of the West Coast.

The sister glacier 25 minutes south of Franz Josef, slightly longer and flatter, with its own valley walk and helicopter base. Less crowded than Franz Josef and equally dramatic. Many visitors do both.

A small lake near Fox Glacier village with the country's most-photographed reflection: Mount Cook and Mount Tasman mirrored on still water. A 1-hour loop walk circles the lake. Sunrise or dusk on a calm day is when the reflection works.

A coastal lagoon 25 minutes north, the largest unmodified wetland in New Zealand and a stronghold for the kotuku (white heron). Kayak tours from Okarito village; the easy version is a self-paddle on a calm afternoon. The under-the-radar West Coast gem.

Heated mineral pools in the rainforest just outside Franz Josef village, with three temperature settings and adults-only sections. The right ending for a day on the ice.

A working captive-breeding centre for the endangered rowi kiwi, with hatchery viewing and a small interactive exhibit. The only place in the world to see rowi (the rarest of the five kiwi species) up close.

A wild west-coast pebble beach 30 minutes south, with a 1860s gold-mining miner's tunnel walk, the country's only mainland fur seal colony on a beach, and absolutely no facilities. Self-drive only.

A small lake on the Lake Matheson loop with a near-identical reflection of the alps. Less famous and less crowded. The alternative shot on a busy Matheson morning.

A jet boat tour 30 minutes north from Whataroa to the country's only mainland kotuku (white heron) breeding colony. October-March only; one of the rarer NZ wildlife experiences.