Weather and what to wear in Franz Josef

6 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

NIWA’s normals for 1981 to 2010 give Franz Josef 5,751 mm of rain a year, the highest of the four West Coast stations in its tables and more than twice the total at Hokitika. Even July, the driest month, has 14 rain days, and October has 21. DOC tells visitors to carry warm and waterproof clothing at all times and to dress for changeable weather in sturdy footwear. That is the starting point for every packing list here.

Temperatures and wind

No temperature normals are published for Franz Josef itself, so the nearest coastal station is the best guide. Hokitika, 136 km north, averages a high of 19.9 °C and a low of 12.1 °C in February, its warmest month, and 12.0 °C and 3.1 °C in July. Air frost occurs there on three to five days a month from June to August. The glacier landing sites are much higher and colder than the coast, so bring a jacket and hat even in summer.

Average wind readings in the village are low. The mean wind speed recorded at Franz Josef is 7.8 km/h, but about 17 days a year bring gusts above 61 km/h, and the strongest gust in the record reached 109.3 km/h in July 2011. Sunshine figures exist only for the region: NIWA gives the coastal margins of the West Coast between 1,900 and 2,050 hours a year.

Clothes for the valley walks

The short walks to the glacier viewpoints follow gravel and forest tracks, and DOC asks for sturdy footwear on them. DOC’s Land Safety Code asks you to check the forecast because the weather can change fast, to carry extra clothing and food, and to tell someone your plans on longer walks. The DOC visitor centre on Cron Street has the daily forecast and lends personal locator beacons for longer trips. In the glacier valleys rain has another effect: DOC warns that downpours can flood the riverbed within minutes, so stay on the marked track and behind the barriers, and never try to cross the Waiho or Callery rivers on foot.

Guided walks bring much of the kit. The Franz Josef valley walk includes rain gear, umbrellas, walking poles and boots if you need them, plus sunscreen and sandfly repellent.

On the ice and in the air

For a heli-hike on the Franz Josef Glacier the operator provides boots, crampons, poles, waterproof jackets and trousers, helmets and gloves. It asks you to bring warm clothing, sunglasses, sunscreen, long trousers and a water bottle. On the Fox Glacier heli-hike, leather boots and socks, crampons and wet-weather jackets and overtrousers are included, and jeans are not allowed. Scenic flights stop for about ten minutes at a landing site, usually on snow, so wear shoes with a sole that grips.

Sunglasses matter more than the grey skies suggest. SunSmart rates UV as damaging from September to April between 10 am and 4 pm, and on snow, ice and water in every month.

On the water

Kayaking on Lake Mapourika is an all-weather trip: the operator says it runs in the rain and hands out paddling jackets, dry bags and wet-weather jackets and trousers when needed, along with sunscreen and insect repellent. Food is not included, so bring a snack and water. The two-hour cruise uses a boat with a closed cabin and a covered deck, and you may bring your own food and drinks.

Sandflies

DOC calls sandflies common in the park, and the advice for Ōkārito is the same: bring insect repellent. Te Ara, the government encyclopaedia, notes that DEET is the most effective repellent, that children should use products with less than 10 per cent DEET and that sandflies tend not to bite moving targets. They are not found above the tree line.

When the rain does not stop

On a day when nothing flies, the West Coast Wildlife Centre in the village is indoors and suits a visit of 30 minutes to two hours, with penguin feeding at 11 am and 3 pm. The ticket is valid for 48 hours, so you can return. Reviews mention that the kiwi room is small and dark. Glacier Hot Pools on Cron Street, a directory listing says, have three main pools and three private ones between 36 and 40 degrees, open in all seasons. The page on the best time to visit sets the rain figures against the daylight in each month.