Terrace Walk — Attraction in South Island

One of the interesting things to do at nighttime in Franz Josef is the short, 100 metre Terrace Walk to see the glow worms. There is a small area to park vehicles at the trailhead. Just look for the sign along State Highway 6 as you enter the village. It is a fun 15-20 minute activity if you are staying in Franz Josef.

We made this short walk recently and really enjoyed seeing the glow worms in numerous spots along the trail. Just walk along the path an at times turn off all your torch and just look around. You'll see small specks of light (glow worms) from time to time. If you crouch down low to the ground, at times you see a fair number of glow worms in the undergrowth, turned over and uprooted trees with exposed roots.

Notes: Almost impossible to take pictures of the glow worms so just enjoy seeing them. Take a good torch so that you don't stumble along the...

We went to Terrace Walk yesterday at 10pm, on the 29th of October 2019, with just the two of us. I was absolutely excited to see some glowworms. The moment we stepped foot in front of the walk, I chickened out and wanted to go home. It was too dark, too quiet, and too eerie. There were just the two of us. Note that we had 4 flashlights with us, which was plenty. As we were walking back, another couple stopped their car in front of us and asked us about the entrance to the glowworm. Thank God! We went in with them, the four of us made the walk much more bearable. The walk was really fast - it felt like 10 minutes. The sign at the entrance said 30 minutes though. We saw plenty of glowworms, but not enough to create a lasting impact. It's the night walk experience that would. Probably because we were talking as well, so that might have scared off...

If you come here to see glowworms, come at night, just walk the first 5 mins, on the right side there is a caved in area about 1m deep and 1m wide, turn off the torch and let your eyes adjust to the dark. There are more glow worms here than at the end of the walk. See it from a squatting position, as there are even more worms at the bottom. Find some 2-3cm hanging webs (see the picture), that's where the glow worms are.

As said on the entrace, it takes 30mins return, a flat pathway with a slight uphill towards the end. At the end of the track there is a bench, nothing else.

If you have been to some other forest area this one is not...