6. The Franz Josef Glacier
In Westland National Park, on one of the two main islands of New Zealand – the South, there is a glacier with a beautiful bluish tint, which got its name from the name of the Austro-Hungarian emperor. Every year, about 250 thousand visitors flock here, who climb the glacier in full gear or fly directly to the glacier’s center by helicopter.
An ice climbing expedition might seem like an activity for which you would need to dress up in multiple coats and sweaters. The 7-mile-long Franz Josef glacier is nothing like this, though. Although this one of the best places to visit in New Zealand gets a lot of sunshine, it’s only somewhat cooler than you have at ground level. So after a day of trekking on the glacier, a soak in the hot pools at the base can feel fantastic.
