Difference between Franz Josef and Fox glaciers
I have just arrived to Franz Josef town, South Island, New Zealand. The main attractions here are the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers.
Several local tour operators feature heli-hikes to both glaciers, combined with a few hours of guided glacier walking tour.
Is there any difference between the glaciers? Are there any landscape or geographical features that are unique to just one of them? Is any of them preferred in cloudy weather?
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/3485. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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I've never been to this area, but searching reveals what appears to be the key difference to me:
The fastest (and cheapest) helicopter trip is to Franz Josef Glacier – a 5-minute flight.
Fox can be accessed on foot, without requiring an expensive helicopter flight at all. Additionally, poor weather can often lead to heli flights being cancelled, so it's a more guaranteed trip to go in by foot.
From what I've been able to find online, it sounds like the Franz Josef has a steeper face and larger elevation change, whereas the Fox has a more gradual approach. Image searching seems to indicate that both are quite scenic though.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/8098. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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