USEFUL VISITOR TRAVEL INFORMATION
Visitor Information Centres
Westland Tai Poutini National Park Visitor Centre
Open daily: 8:30am – 5:00pm everyday except Christmas Day.
Phone: +64 3 752 0360
Address: Glacier Base building, 69 Cron Street, Franz Josef Glacier 7856
Email: westlandnpvc@doc.govt.nz
PLEASE NOTE: The Department of Conservation office at Fox Glacier is not open to the public. All enquiries are to be made to the Westland Tai Poutini National Park Visitor Centre.
Petrol Stations
Glacier Motors, 20 Main Road, Franz Josef village.
+64 3 752 0725
Open 7.30am–7.30pm in summer, 8am-7.00pm in winter, 7 days a week. 24-hour fuel available year round.
Fox Glacier village:
Fox Glacier Motors, 52 Main Road, Fox Glacier village
+64 3 751 0823
Open 8am–7.00pm in summer, 8am-6.00pm in winter, 7 days a week. 24-hour fuel available year round.
Mobile phone coverage:
There is mobile phone (cell phone) coverage in Franz Josef and Fox Glacier villages for all the major providers. Haast has limited cell phone coverage and is the only spot between Fox and Hawea/Wanaka with cell phone reception. The coverage is generally centred around the region’s towns with gaps of little or no reception in between.
Grocery shops/supermarkets
Franz Josef village:
Four Square Supermarket, 24 State Highway 6, Franz Josef.
Open 7.45am 7 days a week and closes at 7.30pm in winter, 8pm in spring and autumn and 9pm in summer.
Fox Glacier village:
Fox Glacier Store, 40 Main Road, Fox Glacier
Open 8.00am–8.00pm 7 days per week.
Emergency (Police, Fire, Ambulance)
Dial 111
Medical Centre/Health Clinic
0800 794 325
Police Station
Franz Josef Police
13 Main Road, Franz Josef Glacier
03 752 0044
Postal Agencies
Franz Josef Glacier – Glacier Motors, 20 Main Road, Franz Josef Glacier
Fox Glacier – Fox Glacier Community Centre, 45 Cook Flat Road, Fox Glacier
Whataroa – White Heron Store & Tearooms, Main Road, Whataroa
Money Services
An ATM machine is available in Franz Josef outside the West Coast Wildlife Centre
Eftpos and credit cards are accepted for most services.
Foreign Exchange
Franz Josef Glacier – Fern Grove Souvenirs, Main Road, Franz Josef Glacier
Motorhome /campervan waste disposal (dump) stations
Glacier Motors, Franz Josef State Highway 6, Franz Josef.
Ph: 03 752 0725
Rain Forest Retreat Cron St., Franz Josef. Ph: 03 752 0220 (Guests Only)
Franz Josef Top10 Holiday Park Main Road, Franz Josef. Ph: 03 752 0735 (Guests Only)
Glacier Country Campervan Park 64 Cron St., Franz Josef. Ph: 03 752 0145
Fox Glacier Holiday Park & Motels Kerrs Road, Fox Glacier. Ph: 03 751 0821
Fox Glacier Lodge & Campervan Park Sullivans Rd., Fox Glacier. Ph: 03 751 0888
Churches
Five local churches hold regular Catholic or Anglican services. Check locally for service times.
Keeping Safe on New Zealand Roads
For a visitor guide for keeping safe on NZ roads and other ways to keep safe while in New Zealand please read this safety guide from the NZ Police:
Visitor Safety Guide – available in several languages
Bus transport in and around Franz Josef Glacier
Bus transport around New Zealand
Getting Here
Driving is the number one way to get to Glacier Country, whether it’s by bus or self driving you’re guaranteed to see some spectacular scenery along the way.
The closest airports are Hokitika, Queenstown and Christchurch
Franz Josef to Hokitika is 1 hours 43 minutes driving (135km)
Franz Josef to Queenstown is 4 hours 40 minutes driving (351km)
Franz Josef to Greymouth is 2 hours 12 minutes driving (173km)
Franz Josef to Christchurch is 5 hour driving (382km)
Franz Josef to Wanaka is 3 hours 38 minutes driving (285km)
Fox Glacier to Wanaka is 3 hours 14 minutes driving (262km)
Fox Glacier to Franz Josef Glacier is 24 minutes driving (24km)
Use this distance calculator to get an approximate travel time and distance between two points in New Zealand.
