Franz Josef Wilderness Tours — Local services in South Island

Our original booking was at 8.30 am on Mon 18 Nov 2024. On Sun 18 Nov, we drove from Wanaka and had to stop at Haast as the bridge was closed. That was the only route to cross over to reach Franz Josef Glacier. That time was 3.15 pm. There were no signs of the bridge closure along the way. We were so lost as the reverse drive would take 11-12 hours to reach Franz Josef Glacier from the North.

We called Franz Josef Wilderness Tours and wished to cancel our booking. However the duty manager wasn't empathetic and refused for full refund due to the situation. In the end, we have to postpone our booking to 5.30pm Mon 18 Nov as we decided to change our itinerary and drive a long way to Franz Josef Glacier to go for the Quad Biking.

At the first place, FJ Wilderness Tours should take the initiative to inform their customers on the bridge closure as they have our contact details. The company should be flexible on their cancellation policy for such incident like ours. I hope the company will question the duty manager on Sun 17 Nov for her lack of customer services. She almost ruined our good impression of New Zealand people.

However , we were glad that we have a good guide Mitch and he was detailed and explained clearly on every actions before we went through the motion. He saved the day and he took great pictures too....

The Quad Bike excursion is a fun and thrilled activity in Franz Josef, and our guide Mitchell is very patient, friendly and experienced. He took gorgeous and beautiful pictures too.

On the evening before we depart for the morning Quad Bike activity, we were stranded at the Haast Bridge which was damaged and it is no longer safe to cross hence the relevant authority decided to close the bridge.

We did not receive any updates from the car rental company, nor from our hotel accommodation providers, nor from Franz Josef Wilderness where we booked the Quad Bike excursion from.

There was NO SIGN at the Wanaka junction as well to inform tourists who may come to the West Coast from the south. Even if there is, coming through the north to Franz Josef requires a solid 10 hours drive so this requires Franz Josef Wilderness Tours to inform us, not to let their customers find out in Wanaka. Anyway we did not see any sign!

The communication from Franz Josef Wilderness Tours is so lacking. Everyone plays a part when this kind of incidents happened. Don't just wait for the authority to do the thing, Franz Josef Wilderness Tours can play an active role so our itinerary can be reversed. ZERO COMMUNICATION.

The Manager in charge is unfriendly and with a snorbish attitude. Even RUDE. Zero empathy. Beware of...

An Unforgettable Off-Road Quad Biking Adventure!

I recently had the most fun I’ve had in ages with an incredible off-road quad biking experience! I wholeheartedly recommend this activity to everyone.

The team was fantastic—friendly, knowledgeable, and super helpful from the booking process to the day of the event. Initially, the slot I wanted was fully booked, but I asked to be moved if a cancellation came up. To my delight, a few days before the event, they contacted me about an opening. Great job and excellent communication!

On the day, we were provided with wet weather gear and wellies (or should I say “gun-boots” 😂). After gearing up, we had a chance to practice on the quad bikes to ensure we were comfortable and capable of handling them. Safety first, which was reassuring!

Once ready, we followed the leader up a riverbed and into the rainforest, and it was absolutely exhilarating. The scenery was stunning, and the ride was pure fun from start to finish. The three of us couldn’t stop smiling the entire time.

Throughout the ride, we felt well-supported and safe thanks to the attentive team. They even captured some amazing photos for us to remember the experience.

Huge thanks to the team for making this such a memorable adventure. I can’t recommend it enough—if you’re thinking about...