Franz Josef Glacier Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere

By air
The quickest access is to fly to Centennial Hut. Helicopter landings are allowed just above the hut and fixed wing landings on the Davis Snowfield below the hut. You could also fly to Almer Hut or Chancellor Hut, and then walk or skin up to Centennial. This can often work if the weather conditions negate landing at Centennial. If Centennial is whited out when you want to depart, a walk down to Almer will often enable a helicopter pick up.

From the Fox Glacier
The best route by foot is to use Routes 11A and 11B to the Fox névé, then cross one of the passes of the upper Fritz Range. Approach on foot up the Franz Josef Glacier itself is practically cut off (although it does occasionally work during a really heavy snow winter).

Waiho valley to Franz Josef névé via Fritz Range
Route 10A, grade lI, I+
This is a wonderfully scenic route, including a stop at the picturesque Castle Rocks Hut, but it has a very difficult start that may soon become impossible. The Waiho River, after it emerges from under the ice, flows down a tortuous gorge between Cape Defiance and Roberts Point. Access up the true left side of the gorge is cut off due to steep, glacier worn bedrock cliffs.
Access from the Waiho River flats to the stream draining Tower Saddle (known as Harpers Creek) depends on being able to

• travel up the true right bank of the Waiho River;
• climb onto the terminal face and cross to the true left side of the valley using the ice of the lower glacier; and
• access the true right bank of Harpers Creek from the point you get off the ice.

These factors change frequently – contact Franz Josef Glacier Guides to find out the latest. Despite brief advances, overall retreat of the glacier continues.
From the lower true right bank of Harpers Creek, find the only obvious level bench (‘the oasis’ – good camping here – and cross to the true left.
Follow upstream past the first large scree slope with a huge boulder at its true right side, then start climbing up the true left edge of the next large scree slope. A ground trail marked with cairns will appear and lead up a stream bed before finally veering out right to Castle Rocks Hut.
From the hut, climb uphill then veer left (west), initially following cairns and then higher up following your nose, to reach Tower Saddle. Traverse the range past Mts Moltke and Roon, keep slightly down on the west side of Pt 2305m, cross through Zurbriggen Col, and hit the Sollas Ridge near Pt 2410m.
Drop east off the Sollas Ridge onto the Melchior Glacier – this area can be cut off in late summer and may require an abseil over a schrund.
Nearby Halcombe Col provides quick access south-west to the Fox Glacier. To access the Franz Josef Névé, travel east from Halcombe Col, angle up to the Penck Ridge, and continue eastward around the Davis Snowfield to Centennial Hut. Centennial Hut is situated on the ridge that extends north-west below Mt Jervois.
If using this route, take a map and GPS, as route-finding can sometimes be difficult. Orographic cloud is common west of the Main Divide, especially in the afternoons, even on fine days, resulting in the lower mountain ranges becoming socked-in with jungle mist.
Edward FitzGerald, Arthur Harper and Matthias Zurbriggen used the Victoria valley and Upper Fritz Range to access the Franz Josef névé during the first crossing of Graham Saddle in March 1895, including the first ascent of Anderegg.
Mts Roon and Moltke were climbed by Alec Graham, Rev. Kemp and Ebenezer Teichelmann in 1907.
Franz Josef Glacier road to Castle Rocks Hut (check glacier conditions): 4–5 hrs

Waiho valley to Tower Saddle via Lower Fritz Range
Route 10B, grade I, 1+
A highly recommended outing that can be done as a long day trip in summer. This route also gets you to Tower Saddle (or out from the Fritz Range) when the lower section of Route 10A is cut off or sounds too intense.
There is a great DOC track up Alex Knob from the valley road. From there to Lemmer Peak is slow with a fair bit of scrub bashing. The north side of Geoffrey Knob (between Lemmer Peak and Ebenezer Peak) is steep – some people have used crampons for extra purchase in the dirt – but there's plenty of tussock and scrub to hold onto.
Louisa Peak, Alex Knob, and Ebenezer Peak were climbed by Charlie Douglas, Arthur Harper and Arthur Woodham in February 1894. The traverse between Tower Saddle and Alex Knob was completed by Jack Cox and Mr Cundell in January 1936.

Waiho valley to Franz Josef névé via the Goatpath
Route 10C, grade II, 2+
There are a number of ways to reach the Goatpath; the route described here avoids the worst of the scrub.
Take the Roberts Point Track until about eight minutes past the Rope Creek bridge. Here the main track swings uphill along the top of a stream bank, and then turns right in mature forest. After another 40m, look for a faint trail that begins on the left, at a right bend in the main track. Follow this unmarked trail uphill, tending left, for ten minutes to reach a narrow ridge overlooking Rope Creek at about 520m. Alternatively, find your own way to this location using your map and GPS.
From here, drop 10m with the help of a fixed rope to reach the creek bed about 50m upstream of an impressive gorge. Boulder hop upstream to 600m, and then take the prominent true-right branch up steepening boulder and scree slopes to reach the 1200m col between Annie Peak and Mt Gunn. The scree gully is confined, with a lot of loose rock – not a place to linger.
From the Annie-Gunn Col, follow the crest of the Baird Range south over Mt Gunn and up to The Goatpath 1821m. There is lush vegetation up to 1500m, but if care is taken to stay on good animal trails, the worst of the scrub can be avoided. The best route is usually on or near the crest of the ridge. Above 1500m, the route is on tussock with some loose rock. The final 30m to the top of the ridge is the crux, and many people will want a rope. The best option is probably the crest itself, where a few big boulders can be used for protection. Some people have found crampons useful in the steep stunted tussock and dirt out to the left. Out to the right is not as steep, but the rock is very rotten.
From the top of The Goatpath, walk and scramble along the ridge to the summit of Thelma Peak, cross the Salisbury snowfield, and descend to Almer Hut. The old route via Crawford Knob should be avoided, due to downwasting of the Almer Glacier.
There is no water above 1050m on the Goatpath route. There are good bivvy/camp sites on Annie Peak and on top of Goatpath.
Navigation whilst descending this route in the mist can be difficult (GPS use recommended). Around 1650m there are a couple of spurs dropping into the Callery which should be avoided, and between 1400m and 1250m there are some appealing spurs and gullies dropping into Rope Creek. Make sure you continue all the way to the Annie-Gunn Col before descending.
Franz Josef valley carpark to Annie-Gunn Col: 5 hrs
Annie-Gunn Col to top of Goatpath: 5 hrs
Goatpath to Almer Hut: 3 hrs

Centennial Hut to Almer Hut
Route 10D, grade II, 1+
From Centennial Hut, choose a route across the Chamberlin Snowfield to pass either above or below Mackay Rocks, depending on crevasses, then slowly curve around on the Geikie Snowfield to the saddle between Newton Rocks and St Mildred Peak. From there, if the upper Salisbury Snowfield isn't too broken, descend to about 2080m then traverse leftwards onto the 2000m shoulder above Almer Hut, known as Almer Ridge.
Alternatively, get to this point by passing through the twin peaks of Newton Rocks then traversing west.
From the top of Almer Ridge, there are four options to reach Almer Hut:

• Continue descending the true left edge of the Salisbury Snowfield until about 1720m, then climb about 80m up onto lower Almer Ridge and traverse to the hut. This option will degrade over time as the snowfield retreats.
• The most reliable route is to descend down the crest of Almer Ridge itself to about 1780m, then turn left to reach the hut.
• Descend 30 to 35 degree snow down the wide gap to the south-west, generally hard on the true left or true right to avoid the central broken area, then sidle right to the hut.
• In late winter and spring, when crevasses are well-covered it may be possible to follow the true right edge of the main névé all the way down to about 1760m, then traverse to the hut.

Almer Hut to Centennial Hut: 3–5 hrs
Centennial Hut to Almer Hut: 2–4 hrs

Pioneer Hut to Centennial Hut
Route 10E, grade II, 1+
Either West Hoe Pass or Newton Pass provides good access between the Franz and Fox névés.
Centennial Hut to Pioneer Hut: 2-4 hrs

Tasman Glacier to Centennial Hut
Route 10F, grade II, 2+
Graham Saddle is the only feasible crossing point from the east. From the saddle, descend 100m to the north then traverse around close to the toe of Rudolf's north-west ridge. Keep height to travel around the worst of the crevasses in a wide arc past Aigrette, to reach a level section of the north-west ridge of Jervois below a prominent rock outcrop, just below Centennial Hut. The hut is best approached from the west side.
Tasman-Rudolf confluence to Graham Saddle: allow a big day
Graham Saddle to Centennial Hut: 1–1.5 hrs

Shelter

• Almer Hut: Altitude ~1680m, grid ref: BX16 742 826. A 12-bunk hut owned and operated by Westland Tai Poutini National Park. It has cooking utensils, blankets, VHF radio. Not used much except by people taking advantage of flights being cheaper than to Centennial Hut.
• Castle Rocks Hut: Altitude ~1160m, grid ref: BX15 707 849. A 4-bunk hut owned and operated by Westland Tai Poutini National Park. Plenty of old books, no radio, but good cellphone coverage on the ridge about 10min above the hut near the Franz Josef Glacier Guides radio repeater.
• Centennial Hut: Altitude ~2400m, grid ref: BX16 764 790. A 12-bunk NZAC hut jointly managed with Westland Tai Poutini National Park. It has a VHF radio, solar-powered lights (including a 12v cell phone re-charging jack) and 12 bunks.