Lake MathesonRated 4.8
4 hHalf-Day Nature Tour to Lake Matheson
★ 4.8 · 17 reviews
- Four hours, Mirror views of Aoraki and Mount Tasman
- Gentle track with bridges and streams
- Day trip
- Free cancellation
$69$17.25 / hour
Check availability→ Walks nearby
Lake Matheson and the rainforest walks around Franz Josef
The glacier valleys take half a day each. What fills the rest of a stay here is water and forest: a lake that holds the reflection of two of the highest mountains in the country, the largest lake in South Westland with a private trail at the far end of it, and a sanctuary where the rainforest is walked rather than driven past. Seven guided trips cover them, from $57 to $102, and this page says what each one gives you.
Quick answer
The short answer. For the photograph everyone comes for, take the Lake Matheson tour at $69 — the listing says the lake is best seen in the early evening, which is exactly when a self-drive visitor is usually somewhere else. For water and rainforest in one trip, the Lake Mapourika cruise and walk at $85 puts you on a private trail inside a kiwi sanctuary. For the lowest price on this page, the kiwi hatchery tour runs 45 minutes at $57.
The walks around the glaciers, at a glance
- Lake Matheson
- Mirror viewsAoraki / Mount Cook and Mount Tasman
- Lake Mapourika
- Largest in South Westlandcruise, kayak or cruise-and-walk
- Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary
- Private trailexclusive access on two of these tours
- The park
- Westland Tai Poutinia UNESCO World Heritage Area
- Shortest trip here
- 45 minutesthe kiwi hatchery, $57
- Longest of these
- 4 hoursLake Matheson, Okarito, the kayak-and-walk
- Lowest price
- $57kiwi hatchery, 47 reviews at 4.4
- Highest rated here
- 4.9both kayak trips, 137 and 73 reviews
- Between the villages
- 30 minutesFranz Josef to Fox, as the listing states
- Photos included
- Two toursboth Okarito kayak trips
Why these walks are flat
Rainforest at the foot of the Alps
The mountains are high and close; the tracks are low and flat. That is the whole geography of walking here.
The unusual thing about this corner of the West Coast is the vertical distance. The Southern Alps stand behind the villages, and the forest runs almost to the sea in front of them. That compression is why the walking here is gentle even though the mountains are not: the tracks stay on the valley floors, among ancient podocarp rainforest, glacial rivers and lakes, while the ice stays high above.
It also explains the light. The forest is wet, the lakes are still in the mornings and evenings, and the mountains are close enough to be reflected in them whole. The Lake Matheson listing puts it plainly: the lake features mirror views of Aoraki / Mount Cook and Mount Tasman, and it is best seen in the early evening. That is a fact worth planning a day around, because most people arrive at midday and see a lake with wind on it.
The second thing these trips buy you is access. Two of them walk a private rainforest trail inside the Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary — the listings call it exclusive access, and it is the practical difference between looking at a sanctuary from a road and walking through one with somebody who knows which bird is calling.
Seven trips
What each one actually gives you
Sorted the way people choose them: by what you see rather than by price.
- Lake Matheson half-day nature tour — $69
Four hours, 17 reviews at 4.8. Nestled in ancient forest, the lake holds mirror views of Aoraki / Mount Cook and Mount Tasman, and the track crosses bridges and streams on the way round. The listing notes it is best seen in the early evening. It leaves from Franz Josef and runs over to the Fox Glacier side, about thirty minutes away.
- Lake Mapourika cruise and walk — $85
Two and a half hours, 77 reviews at 4.8, and the most complete of the lake trips: a scenic cruise into the sheltered bays of the Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary, then a guided walk on a private rainforest trail. The listing promises panoramic views of the Southern Alps and Franz Josef Glacier, and on a clear day as far as Mount Cook. Free cancellation.
- Lake Mapourika scenic cruise — $71
Two hours, 145 reviews at 4.8 — the shortest and the most booked of the lake trips. An eco-cruise in the UNESCO World Heritage area with a local skipper who talks through the wildlife as you go. The version to take if the weather is uncertain or the day is short.
- Kayak tour on Lake Mapourika — $85
Three hours, 137 reviews at 4.9. A small-group paddle across mirror-like water into a hidden rainforest creek inside the sanctuary. Photos of your trip are included, which matters on a kayak, where most people leave the camera behind.
- Kayak and walking tour to Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary — $102
Four hours, 73 reviews at 4.9, and the fullest version: paddle South Westland’s largest lake, then walk an exclusive rainforest trail inside the sanctuary and the UNESCO World Heritage Area. Photos included.
- Half-day guided tour to Okarito — $63
Four hours in the old mining township, with its history from a guide, mountain views and the birds that make this stretch of coast unusual. A new listing this season, which is why it carries no reviews yet.
- Kiwi VIP backstage pass — $57
Forty-five minutes and the lowest price here, with 47 reviews at 4.4. A fully guided tour behind the scenes of what the listing calls the largest kiwi incubation and hatching facility on the South Island, with live tuatara on the same visit. Free cancellation, and it fits into an evening.
Book direct
The walks and lakes around the glaciers
Seven trips from $57 to $102, all of them within reach of a bed in Franz Josef.
Cruise + walkRated 4.8
2.5 h2.5-Hour Lake Mapourika Cruise and Walk
★ 4.8 · 77 reviews
- 2.5 hours, Lake cruise plus rainforest walk
- Private trail in a kiwi sanctuary
- Guided tour
- Free cancellation
$85$34.00 / hour
Check availability→ 
145 reviews2 h
2 h2-Hour Scenic Lake Mapourika Cruise
★ 4.8 · 145 reviews
- Two hours, Eco-cruise with Southern Alps views
- Local skipper shares wildlife insights
- Guided tour
- Free cancellation
$71$35.50 / hour
Check availability→ 
Rated 4.9Small group
3 h3-Hour Kayak Tour on Lake Mapourika
★ 4.9 · 137 reviews
- Three hours, Paddle into a hidden rainforest creek
- Photos of your tour included
- Guided tour
- Free cancellation
$85$28.33 / hour
Check availability→ 
Rated 4.9Kiwi sanctuary
4 hKayak & Walking Tour to Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary
★ 4.9 · 73 reviews
- Four hours, Kayak, then walk a rainforest trail
- Photos of your tour included
- Guided tour
- Free cancellation
$102$25.50 / hour
Check availability→ 
New listingOkarito
4 hHalf-Day Guided Tour to Okarito
- Four hours, Old mining township and its history
- Mountain views and native birds
- Day trip
- Free cancellation
$63$15.75 / hour
Check availability→ 
45 minSkip the line
45 minKiwi VIP Backstage Pass Tour -Booking Essential
★ 4.4 · 47 reviews
- 45 minutes, Behind the scenes at a kiwi hatchery
- See live tuatara
- Cheapest here
- Free cancellation
$57$76.00 / hour
Check availability→ Planning the reflections
Early and late, not the middle of the day
Every still-water photograph you have seen of this area was taken at one of the two ends of the day. The Lake Matheson listing says the lake is best seen in the early evening; the kayak listings describe mirror-like water, which is a morning and evening condition too.
So the sensible shape of a day here is: glacier valley in the middle, water at the ends. The Fox Glacier walking and nature tour at $63 and the Franz Josef Glacier Lookout walk at $63 both run half a day, which leaves a whole evening for a lake. Two nights in the area turns that from a rush into a plan.
The kiwi hatchery tour is the one to hold in reserve. At forty-five minutes it slots into a gap that nothing else fits, and it has free cancellation if the day changes shape.
The glacier valleys themselves are the other half of a stay here.
What a glacier walk means here→Common questions
The walks around Franz Josef, answered
What is the best walk near Franz Josef Glacier that is not the glacier itself?
Lake Matheson, for the reflections of Aoraki / Mount Cook and Mount Tasman. The guided half-day tour runs $69 and takes four hours, and the listing says the lake is at its best in the early evening.
Can you walk in the Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary?
On a guided trip, yes. The Lake Mapourika cruise and walk at $85 and the kayak and walking tour at $102 both include what the listings call exclusive access to a private rainforest trail inside the sanctuary.
Which lake trip is best if the weather is poor?
The two-hour Lake Mapourika cruise at $71. It is the shortest of the lake trips, it is on sheltered water, and with 145 reviews at 4.8 it is also the most booked of them.
How long does Lake Matheson take?
The guided tour is four hours door to door from Franz Josef, which includes the drive to the Fox Glacier side — about thirty minutes each way, as the operators state.
Is there anything short to do in the evening?
The kiwi backstage tour: forty-five minutes at $57, behind the scenes at the hatchery, with live tuatara. It carries free cancellation.
Are these trips suitable for children and older walkers?
The lake trips and the Lake Matheson track are gentle by design — flat tracks, bridges and streams, and boats rather than climbs. The glacier valley walks are described as gentle too, with a gradual climb.
Go deeper
More on walking here
Every walk
Every Franz Josef Glacier walk
All the walks compared — the valley tracks, the guided walks and the ice.
Can you walk to it?Can you walk to the glacier?
How far the valley track goes on foot, and where the ice begins.
Glacier ValleyThe Glacier Valley walk
Rainforest, river flats and the lookout at the head of the valley.
Fox GlacierWalking at Fox Glacier
The quieter valley thirty minutes down the road, and the walk that covers it.
Without a helicopterHiking without a helicopter
What you can walk on the ground, guided or on your own.
Walk or heli hikeValley walk or heli hike
The two kinds of day here, priced side by side.
