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The Wigley

Top of the Tasman Glacier Hike

The Wigley

Explore the immense beauty of the upper snowfield of the Haupapa/Tasman Glacier, this is where its 23-kilometre journey begins.

As you fly in to 2200 metres (7200 ft.) aboard your ski plane, marvel at the rock and ice debris transform to glistening white. You may even see an iceberg in the glacier lake! Then get ready to explore the glacier by walking, hiking and snowshoeing.

If you have never tried snowshoeing in NZ, now is the time to give it a go! Snowshoeing is a great way to confidently make your way across snow-covered terrain. Once on the glacier, we will provide you with snowshoes, adjustable walking poles, harnesses and any additional equipment you may need. After your gear is fitted, you are ready to explore the ice formations in this ever-changing environment; you’re in the heart and birthplace of New Zealand mountaineering.

Your flight home tracks down the eastern side of New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki/Mt Cook and the stunning Hochstetter icefall. You’ll return home with incredible memories of your Tasman Glacier hike in this vast mountain landscape.

This experience is named in honour of Harry Wigley, pilot and pioneer of the retractable ski for glacier and airfield landings. Although the Haupapa/Tasman glacier is the primary landing site this may vary depending upon environmental conditions.

Tour Details

FITNESS LEVEL

Moderate

EXPERIENCE LEVEL

No experience required

Tour Times

11:30am
Additional 8:15 tour during Summer only

Check In 10 mins. before

Price

$799 per adult
$799 per child (13-16)

Price valid to 30 September 2024

FAQs

We recommend you book in advance so you don’t miss out on this amazing experience. You can easily book with us online, or contact us via phone or email. 

We suggest booking for your first day in Mt. Cook, as our experiences are weather dependent. 

Check-in time is 10 minutes before meeting guided trip.

Please note the check in time and flight time are not the same. This allows you enough time to prepare for your trip before flight time.

Absolutely no experience is needed for any of our trips. Our guides will provide specialist equipment and professional instruction to quickly have you exploring the glacier with confidence.

Can you walk up and down a flight of stairs without holding the handrail? Can you walk at a moderate pace, starting and stopping, for up to 2 hours? At times we might have to walk on steeper steps with a handrail for balance.

Good fitness for this trip is a level of fitness sufficient to ascend and descend 1000m+ over 8 hours or more carrying a pack 12kg (26lb) or more over multiple days.

Yes, we require 3 people for this trip to go ahead. If you have less than 3 people in your group, we will do our best to put you on a trip with other people. If minimum numbers are not met, we can accommodate private trips at an additional cost. For more details, contact us.

Aoraki/Mt Cook Village is located on the eastern side of the Southern Alps/Ka Tiritiri O te Moana in the McKenzie Country Region.  It is home to most of New Zealand’s big mountains over 3,000m including the tallest, Aoraki/Mt Cook at 3724m.

Weather in this alpine environments is subject to rapid change and temperatures can vary accordingly.

Weather and cloud levels can change within a matter of minutes. This is why our weather checks are not made until 10 minutes before your departure time.

There is an individual weight restriction of 116 kg/256 pounds for our experiences as they utilise either helicopters or ski planes. Please contact us on info@mtcookguides.co.nz or 0800 68 2665 if you would like to join a trip and are over this weight limit.

No. Please leave your drone behind. It is illegal to fly a drone in Mt. Cook as it is within a National Park.

If you fly a drone, it will be confiscated and you will be fined $5,000. For rules on flying drones in New Zealand, please reference www.airshare.co.nz.

If for some reason you need to cancel your trip, then let us know as soon as possible. Most of our trips are fully refundable provided we receive your cancellation request twenty-four (24) hours prior to the reporting time. Please see the Terms and Conditions section on this website for more details.

Please find more questions and answers on our FAQ Page.

What to bring

→ Any Essential Medication

→ 3 – 4 layers of warm upper body clothing

→ Sunglasses and sun protection

→ A drink and snacks

→ A warm hat and gloves

→ A camera

What we provide

⊕ Quality leather boots

⊕ Snowshoes and/or crampons

⊕ Harness

⊕ Waterproof jacket & overtrousers

⊕ Adjustable walking poles

⊕ Socks

⊕ Gloves

⊕ Gaiters