Welcome to day 5 of our West Coast road trip! Today we took a very interesting hike inside an old mining tunnel. We also explored the town of Franz Josef, saw a glacier, and soaked in some hot pools.
Check out our previous days below:
Day 1 ○ Day 2 ○ Day 3 ○ Day 4 ○ Day 6 ○ Day 7
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Tatare Tunnels Walk
I originally found out about the Tatare Tunnels Walk on Google Maps. Because it’s located close to the center of Franz Josef and doesn’t take too long to complete, I figured we should give it a shot. Back in the early 1900s, the tunnel system was used to pump water and power a hydro station for electricity. After the station was destroyed by a slip in 1982, the tunnels and surrounding walk were turned into a nice DOC walk.
There is also another walk that branches off of this one called the Callery Gorge Track. The day we came, however, the track was completely closed due to major structural damage. If you’re wanting to do either walk, make sure to check the DOC website beforehand to make sure they’re open. Because of the constant rain, it seems as if there is always some form of damage to the tracks.
Beginning of the walk
The walk starts out pretty tame (and a bit boring to be honest). We walked slightly uphill on a gravel track for about ten minutes before it opened up to the Tatare Gorge. After another 20 or so minutes of walking up the wide path, it began to narrow and get steeper. There were several places along the side of the track where spring water rolled down from above in little waterfalls — these are great places to fill up your water bottle!
Eventually, we made it all the way up to the entrance of the tunnel. Right in front of it, there is a massive wooden structure that the miners used to use to get down into the cave. I enjoyed reading a bit about the history of the place and imagining what it would have been like back in the day.
The tunnel
Let me tell you — I was not expecting the tunnel to be so cave-like. I actually don’t really know what I was expecting, but it was not the super-long and pitch-black cave we were met with. Once you get a few steps inside the tunnel, it gets dark, wet, and definitely creepy. A bit farther in, the light from the entrance disappears completely. When you’re halfway in the tunnel, it is legitimately pitch-black when you turn your lights off. This is not for the faint of heart!
In addition to the creepy atmosphere of the cave itself, I should mention that there are some creepy crawlies in there as well. Ben and I stopped to look at a massive, unidentifiable bug on the ceiling (which then jumped towards us). I also saw (and almost touched) a huge spider just chilling on the wall. That is the moment that I stopped holding on to the walls for support.
On a less scary note, we also saw some glowworms in the cave! About two-thirds of the way through, we happened to notice some blueish dots of light on the ceiling. We turned our flashlights off and got to admire the dangly worms in their natural habitat. Very cool, but unfortunately very difficult to photograph.
At the end of the tunnel, we were met with a blockaded entrance to the outside world. This part of the track was damaged, so we had to turn around and go back through the cave to exit. Roundtrip, it took us a little over an hour and a half to finish the walk.
Final thoughts on Tatare Tunnels
I’m glad that I was with Ben during this hike because I don’t know if I would have had the courage to go all the way through the cave alone. In any case, it was a very cool and unique experience. If you’re well-prepared, it is so worth it!
If you’re planning on doing this walk, the following are an absolute necessity:
- Tall, waterproof shoes: These are a must. We wore gumboots, which I highly recommend! The water was at least ankle deep all the way through the tunnel.
- A headlamp or flashlight: The flashlight on your phone is fine, but I actually preferred having both a headlamp and my phone light on at the same time. It is extremely dark in there. A headlamp lets you be hands-free and stops you from tripping over yourself!
- A raincoat: It’s wet and drippy in there. Do yourself a favor and keep yourself dry with a waterproof coat.
Franz Josef
The town of Franz Josef is best-known for its nearby glacier of the same name. We actually ended up spending a few days here, mostly relaxing and taking in all the natural beauty. Because it’s such a small town, though, I’ve combined all of our time here into day 5 of our West Coast road trip.
In the town itself, our two favorite spots were Full of Beans Cafe and Blue Ice Restaurant. The cafe in particular was a great spot to chill and had fast wifi if you’re looking to do any work. For accommodation, we stayed at the NZMCA campsite, which was lovely! I talk more about the beauty of NZMCA membership here.
Franz Josef Glacier
One of the most popular ways to see the Franz Josef Glacier is by helicopter. There are several different operators that offer heli-hike tours (a helicopter ride to the glacier, several hours of hiking over it, and a helicopter ride back). While this sounded awesome and like something I really wanted to do, it’s also very expensive. We decided to forgo the heli-hike and do the regular, free hike to the glacier instead (womp womp).
There are several different tracks that are available when you get to the parking lot. We decided on the Franz Josef Glacier Walk, which is an easy 20-minute walk to a viewpoint. There are longer hikes that go closer to the glacier, but we didn’t think the closer views would be worth the effort.
Although I’m glad that we saw the glacier, it’s not on my list of top favorites for a few reasons. The walk we took was pretty crowded, with people passing us in both directions every few minutes. The view of the glacier itself looks nice through a very zoomed-in digital camera, but is a bit far to be amazing with the naked eye (you can blame global warming for that one — in 1908, the glacier extended to where I stand in the second picture). I think the walk is worth doing since it’s so short, but I wish that we had splurged for the heli-hike after all.
Hot Pools
Also in the town of Franz Josef, the Franz Josef Glacier Hot Pools are a group of 3 heated geothermal pools. They are each set at a different temperature ranging from 36°C (96.8°F) to 40°C (104°F). The pools are outside and are set amongst a real rainforest.
We came here and spent about an hour soaking from one pool to the next. Tickets for the public pools are only NZ$29 per adult, which I feel is a fair price since you can stay as long as you want. This was the perfect spot to come and unwind after a day of walking!
Book a tour in Franz Josef
Thanks for reading day 5 of our West Coast road trip! Make sure to stick around for day 6. We explore the town of Fox Glacier and take an amazing nature walk in Te Wāhipounamu National Park. If you’d like to be notified by email when there is a new post, you can scroll down this page to sign up for the newsletter.
xoxo Niki
