Helicopter Rides and Hiking in Franz Josef Waiau New Zealand with a Toddler

The South Island of New Zealand (NZ) is known for the glaciers that cling to its Southern Alps, or Kā Tiritiri o te Moana in Māori. If you visit the South Island, there are two ways you can see the glaciers. You can approach the glaciers from the east through the Mt. Cook Aoraki village area or from the west coast.

When my first-born was still a toddler, we chose to explore the NZ glaciers from both the east and west sides of the Southern Alps/ Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, first hiking in Mt. Cook Aoraki village and later driving to Franz Josef Waiau for a helicopter glacier tour, all on our two-week NZ South Island trip.

Franz Josef Waiau is a small town on the west coast of the South Island named after the nearby glacier and river. The town is unique and so is its location, with lush rainforest and ocean to the west, and snowcapped mountains and glaciers to the east.

Here’s how we recommend you spend two days in the Franz Josef Waiau area with your family:

Wānaka is on the traditional lands of the Māori.

Hike the Blue Pools Trek

On the drive from Wanaka to Franz Josef Waiau, we stopped at the Blue Pools Trek trailhead on Highway 6 to stretch our legs.

Photos online showed a beautiful trail ending at a light blue river fed by glacier water, but that was not what we saw when we arrived. The beautiful blue pools were full of muddy water, maybe due to the recent rains at the time of our hike.

Despite the disappointment of the pools’ color, the 30-minute, 1.6 km hike was a nice, easy, flat, and kid-friendly hike under the shade of lush green trees. The swing bridge was also picturesque and fun to traverse.

Pro-tip: make sure you bring and use a lot of bug spray. The rain and clouds increased mid-hike, and sand flies came out in droves. We were swarmed by biting sand flies every time we stopped moving, like, to take this picture.

Get Up Close & Personal with a Kiwi

The West Coast Wildlife Centre had large signs screaming to cars driving by to come in to see a rare kiwi bird. I admit – I gave into the hype.

We paid the entrance fee (free for kids under 5 years of age, children 5-15 $16-18, and $32-34 for adults), which was a little more expensive than expected, and found ourselves immediately immersed in the world of the kiwi.

First, you enter the kiwi informational section that teaches you fun kiwi facts. For example, did you know that the kiwi eggs take up 20% of the kiwi bird’s body, the largest egg in proportion to body size than almost any other bird? And I thought my babies were big!

To see the kiwis, you must enter a dark, thin hallway. Kiwis are nocturnal, and therefore are kept in a dark room to simulate the night. There are signs everywhere asking you to be quiet and not disturb them.

We peeked at a little kiwi bird but moved quickly through the exhibit because my toddler did not follow the “keep quiet” directions, as expected. My partner stayed behind and got a better look while I waited at the other end with my kiddo.

The rest of the museum was filled with other artic information, a kid-sized seal cave to climb through, and a coloring station. Grab a bite at the café if you’re in need of a snack break.

Fly in a Helicopter to a Glacier

Thanks to recommendations from friends, we decided to take our first helicopter ride as a family to the top of the New Zealand Alps.

We flew with Heli Services NZ on a 20-minute flight from the coast, over the Franz Josef Glacier, and up to 6000’ to land on the Fox Glacier.

I didn’t realize the glacier would be covered in deep and untouched snow – perfect for photos but not so great for a toddling kiddo with rain boots on! I ended up carrying my little one as we tramped through freshly fallen snow, looking at the mountain peaks above us, and admiring the view.

Cost is free for kids 0-3, $150 for kids 4-14, and $300 for ages 14+.

Where to Eat

Alice May Restaurant

We enjoyed dinner at the Alice May Restaurant in Franz Josef Waiau. Part history museum, part restaurant, the Alice May Restaurant’s walls were covered in artifacts and news clippings of the story of Alice May Parkinson, whose conviction of manslaughter became a subject of controversy at the time because of the severity of her sentence compared to male criminals. She became a household name, gained widespread support, and was released from her lifetime sentence after serving six years in prison.

The pub is owned by one of her grandchildren and is dedicated to her story. The story was interesting, the staff were friendly, and the food was tasty. Click here for the menu.

We sat down for dinner at 5:30pm next to another couple traveling with a baby and knew we were in the right place. It was delightful to share our meal next to another mixed-race couple and their beautiful brown baby.

SnakeBite Brewery

I was very excited to see a place that specialized in SnakeBite drinks – a tasty mix of cider and beer. The SnakeBite Brewery features local beers and ciders on tap with a long list of SnakeBites to choose from.

In addition to delicious beer mixes, they offer decent dumplings, noodles, and egg rolls. I didn’t understand the connection between the brewery and Asian fusion cuisine, but it didn’t matter because my toddler loves noodles – and so do I!

If you’re planning to travel to the west coast of the South Island of NZ, I would recommend you stop in the small town of Franz Josef Waiau because it is the launching off point to explore the glaciers and NZ Alps.

If we hadn’t had a toddler with us, and the need to stop every few hours along our 2-week trip in New Zealand, we might not have spent the night in Franz Josef Waiau. Stopping overnight allowed us to enjoy a meal, wake up in time to catch the helicopter ride, ultimately making life much more convenient with our little one.

Have you travelled with a toddler and needed to take it slow? Share in the comments below!

This post is part of a series of posts about visiting the South Island of NZ with kids. Continue the adventure with us here:

Seeing "That Wanaka Tree" in Wanaka

Trekking Mt. Cook on the South Island of New Zealand with Kids

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Angel

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Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.