Fox Glacier is the small village below the glacier of the same name on the West Coast, where the Southern Alps drop more than three thousand metres in just a few dozen kilometres, and the climate is a wet and warm one. The glacier was named after William Fox, a premier of New Zealand in the 1870s, and it is one of the few in the world that comes down into temperate rainforest, so that a river of ice ends among tree ferns, which is a remarkable sight. A short walk from the car park takes you to the viewpoint, and the glacier has retreated considerably over the last century, so check where you can safely walk.
A few kilometres from the village lies Lake Matheson, a small lake whose still water reflects Aoraki Mount Cook and Mount Tasman on a calm morning, and the postcard shot of the two mountains upside down in the water is among the most famous in the country. Go at dawn if you want the reflection, because the wind often ruffles the surface later and the cloud usually closes in.
The riding on State Highway 6 here is a long, quiet series of bends through rainforest and past river flats, with glimpses of snow-capped peaks, and a real sense of being at the far edge of the island. The surface is generally good but wet, and the rain is heavy, often several metres a year. Plan for bad weather, wear waterproofs, and treat painted lines and bridge joints with respect when they are wet.
Fox Glacier has a petrol station, a few cafes, a supermarket and a number of lodges and campgrounds, and it is the last real service point for a long distance if you are heading south, with Haast about 120 kilometres away. Fill up here. Franz Josef, a larger village with similar services, is about twenty kilometres north. Sandflies are fierce, and an afternoon in the sun is not to be taken for granted, so enjoy the clear spells when they come. In the evening the clouds often lift and the peaks come out.