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Walk on the glacier
Guided heli hike
- On the iceUp to 2 hours
- SeasonAll year
- GroupUp to 11
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Tasman Glacier boat tour: among the icebergs of a young lake
Tasman Glacier heli hike, up to 2 hours on the ice
★ 4.9 · 315 opinions
Compare 4 side by side
What the bookable glacier trips cost
The boat is booked at the hotel; compare the trips you can book here.
- Heli hikeUp to 2 hours on ice · starts at, per person $528
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View - Helicopter flight25 minutes · starts at, per person $223
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View - Ski plane and heli45 minutes · starts at, per person $323
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View - Day tour from TekapoTo the viewpoint · starts at, per person $99
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View
From-prices on GetYourGuide, shown at the ECB reference rate. Your exact price is confirmed during booking.
The Tasman Glacier boat tour crosses a lake that did not exist half a century ago, weaving between icebergs towards the glacier's ice face. Here is how the trip works, when it runs and how it compares with flying in.
Editorial team, tasmanglaciertour.com · Updated November 8, 2026 · Allow 7 min
Summary view
- What it isCalled New Zealand's only glacial boat tour by the regional tourism body.1
- SeasonSeptember to June only, from the Hermitage Hotel.2
- The walkA 1.5km path to the jetty, roughly 25 minutes on foot.3
- Check-in30 minutes before departure at the hotel's activities desk.4
- The lakeFormed from 1974 and still growing as the glacier melts.5
The Tasman Glacier boat tour in brief
The Tasman Glacier boat tour takes you across Tasman Lake, the meltwater lake at the foot of New Zealand's longest glacier. Run as Glacier Explorers, it is billed by the Mackenzie regional tourism body as the only glacial boat tour in New Zealand.1 The route threads among drifting icebergs towards the glacier's ice face, which the boats watch from a respectful distance.6
It is a short, gentle outing compared with a heli hike. Departures start at the Hermitage Hotel in Aoraki/Mount Cook Village, and the outing includes a 1.5km walk to the jetty that takes about 25 minutes.2,3 Apart from that stroll there is little physical effort, so the boat suits travelers who would struggle with crampons on a glacier.
The boat is not sold on GetYourGuide or Viator; you book it with the hotel. This page therefore points to the heli hike as the bookable alternative for the same morning, and explains when each one makes more sense. Check your dates first: there are no sailings outside September to June.2 Outside those months, or when wind keeps the boats ashore, the heli hike and the free lakeside tracks are your fallback in the same valley.
Side by side
The lake boat against the other ways to see the glacier
| Option | Season | Effort | How close |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake boat | September to June2 | A walk of about 25 minutes3 | Ice face from the water6 |
| Heli hike | All year14 | Up to 2 hours walking15 | On the ice |
| Scenic flight | All year, weather allowing | None16 | 10 to 15 minutes on snow17 |
| View track | All year18 | 300+ steps19 | Lookout over the lake11 |
Seasons and effort levels come from the operators and DOC; weather has the final say on every trip.18
A lake younger than many of its visitors
Tasman Lake is new. The Department of Conservation says it did not exist until 1974 and is growing rapidly as the glacier retreats.8 It has become large enough for commercial boat and kayak tours, which is why a boat trip to a glacier face is possible at all here.5 Before then, the glacier itself filled the space the boats now cross.
The evidence surrounds you on the water. The large terminal moraines around the lake mark where the glacier ended when the lake began to form, and DOC calls them a sobering reminder of how far the ice has retreated.9 Like glaciers worldwide, the Tasman is retreating as the climate changes, the department says.8
The glacier you face from the boat is a giant. The regional tourism body describes it as more than 23km long and 600m deep.10 Its Māori name, Haupapa, appears beside the English one on Department of Conservation pages.11 The English name honors Abel Tasman, the Dutch navigator whose voyage of 1642 gave Europeans their first sight of New Zealand.12
The walk to the jetty and the Blue Lakes
Every Tasman Glacier lake boat tour starts with a walk. From the Blue Lakes car park at the end of Tasman Valley Road, a path of 1.5km leads to the jetty, and the operator expects guests to cover it in about 25 minutes.3 Wear sturdy shoes: the route crosses old glacial ground, and the Department of Conservation describes the moraine around the lake as hazardous away from the tracks.22
On the way you pass the Blue Lakes, which DOC says were once the blue of glacial meltwater but are now fed by rain and look green.23 They are a small lesson in how the valley has changed: the glacier that fed them has pulled back, and they have been left to the weather. The same car park serves the free Tasman Glacier View Track, a 1.5 km return climb to a lookout.20
The car park is about 10 minutes by car from the village.13 In the busy season, from November to April, DOC warns that the car park and the view track get very crowded, and large tour groups use them.24 Allow time for parking, and for the walk, before the boat leaves. Early departures are calmer, both on the path and on the water, and the light on the ice face is often softer before midday.
Boat or something else
Is the lake boat right for you?
Pick the line that fits your visit and see what to book.
If I want to see icebergs close up
The lake boat
The boats weave between icebergs of all sizes.6
If I visit in July or August
The heli hike or a flight
The boat runs September to June; the heli hike runs all year.2,14
If I want to stand on the glacier
The heli hike
A guide, the glacier and up to 2 hours, in any season.14
If Walking far is hard for me
A scenic flight
Flights need no fitness and suit all ages.16
If I have no budget left
The view track
Bookable alternatives
On the ice, over it, or to the lookout
Quick flight
Fly over the lake
Helicopter, alpine landing
- Length25 minutes
- GroupUp to 6
- AgesAll
Budget day
Walk to the viewpoint
Day tour from Tekapo
- Length8.5 hours
- Viewpoint walk45 minutes
- LunchBring your own
On the water: icebergs and the ice face
Out on the lake, the icebergs are the show. They break away from the glacier and drift slowly across the water in every shape and size. The Mackenzie tourism body invites guests to touch an iceberg on the trip.27 Its listing promises bergs of every size along the way.6 Every trip meets a different set of bergs, because the lake rearranges itself with each calving and each change of wind.
Summer is iceberg season on the lake, DOC notes, while in winter the surface freezes over.28 That seasonal rhythm explains the boat's timetable. The water itself is bitterly cold: DOC gives the lake a usual temperature of about 3 degrees, enough to chill a swimmer dangerously fast.29 Keep hands and cameras secure when you lean out.
The icebergs are also unstable. DOC warns visitors on the shore never to climb them, because they can tip without warning.25 That is why the boats keep their distance from the ice face, and why the guided boat is the safe way to be among the bergs. From the shore tracks, you see the same lake from above, but never the icebergs close up.
The boat trip
From the hotel lobby to the icebergs
Check-in
Hermitage lobby
Sign in at the hotel desk 30 minutes before sailing.4
Departure
Terrace Road
Trips leave from outside the Hermitage Hotel.7
The walk
Car park to jetty
A walk of 1.5km, about 25 minutes.3
On the lake
Among the icebergs
The boats weave between icebergs of all sizes.6
The ice face
From a safe distance
The glacier face is viewed from a safe distance across the water.6
When the boat runs, and when to go
The boat operates from September to June only, setting out from the Hermitage Hotel in the village.2 Spring departures meet a lake still waking from winter, and summer is when icebergs usually float, DOC says.28 In the depth of winter the lake freezes, so a July or August visit means choosing another way to see the glacier: the view track, a scenic flight or the heli hike, which the guiding company runs all year round.28,14
Within the season, weather is the main variable. DOC reminds visitors that this alpine park can bring snow, freezing temperatures, wind and sunburn at any time of year.18 Wind raises waves on an open lake, and low cloud hides the mountains behind the glacier, so a calm, clear morning gives the best views and photographs.
Dress as if for a glacier, even on a warm day in the village. Cold air flows down from the ice over the lake, and you sit still on the water for much of the trip. Bring a warm layer, a hat and gloves, dark glasses against the glare from water and ice, and a waterproof jacket in case of showers. Your camera will want a strap.26
Video
A boat ride among the icebergs of Tasman Lake
Hojae on YouTube · Until you tap play, no video is loaded.
Tasman Lake is a relatively recent addition to the scene, starting its formation in 1974 and growing steadily since then. It is now large enough to take commercial boat and kayak tours.
Before the boat
Packing and timing for the lake
Timing3
What to wear3
- Layers, a beanie and gloves against the chill off the glacier
- A waterproof jacket for showers on the lake
- Dark glasses for the bright lake
Boat or heli hike?
The Mount Cook glacier boat tour and the heli hike show the same glacier from opposite ends. The boat gives you the lake, the icebergs and the ice face, at water level. The heli hike, from $528 on GetYourGuide, takes you by helicopter to the white ice for a guided walk of up to 2 hours. One shows you where the ice ends; the other shows you where it lives.
Fitness is the clearest divide. The boat asks for a walk of about 25 minutes to the jetty.3 The heli hike expects you to climb stairs unaided and keep walking for up to 2 hours, and its listing steers travelers with limited mobility elsewhere.30 Season is the second: the boat stops in winter, while the heli hike runs all year round.2,14
If you can, do both. The heli hike runs at 8:45 AM and 10:45 AM, which leaves the afternoon free for a boat trip from the village. Seeing the glacier from the ice in the morning and from the water in the afternoon gives you both ends of the same story. If you must choose one, take the boat for icebergs and the heli hike for walking on the glacier itself.
Booking the boat and finding the start
Boats leave from the front of the Hermitage Hotel, on Terrace Road in the village.7 Check-in is at the lobby activities desk, half an hour before you sail.4 Ask there for the current fare and departure times, which can shift through the season with the weather and the light. Book a day ahead in summer, when the valley is crowded.
The Hermitage itself is part of the valley's story. The Department of Conservation describes it as a long-time emblem of upmarket travel in the Southern Alps, and records that the remote hotel got its own small hydro plant in 1925 to keep its guests warm and lit.31,32 Booking your boat there puts you in a long tradition of visiting this valley, and the lobby is a pleasant place to wait out a shower before you sail.
If you prefer to book everything in one place, the heli hike and the scenic flights on this site can be reserved online and cancelled free of charge until 24 hours ahead. Combine them with a lake trip booked at the hotel, and leave a spare morning in case the weather closes in.33 Our comparison page sets every option side by side.
FAQ
Questions answered quickly.
Is there a boat tour on the Tasman Glacier lake?
Yes, from September to June.
The Glacier Explorers boat crosses Tasman Lake among icebergs and departs from the Hermitage Hotel.2
How long is the walk to the boat?
1.5km, about 25 minutes.
It starts at the Blue Lakes parking area and ends at the jetty; sturdy shoes help on the moraine.3
Can you touch the icebergs?
The tourism body says you can.
The Mackenzie regional tourism body invites boat guests to touch an iceberg on the trip.27
Does the boat run in winter?
Where do I check in?
At the Hermitage Hotel.
Go to the activities desk in the hotel lobby 30 minutes before your sailing.4
Is the boat or the heli hike better?
It depends on what you want.
Pick the boat for icebergs and the ice face; pick the heli hike to spend up to 2 hours walking the glacier with a guide.6
How cold is the lake water?
About 3 degrees.
DOC says the lake usually sits at about 3 degrees, cold enough to bring on hypothermia fast.29
Sources
- Mackenzie Region tourism (mackenzienz.com) · Glacier Explorers ↩
- Mackenzie Region tourism (mackenzienz.com) · Glacier Explorers ↩
- Mackenzie Region tourism (mackenzienz.com) · Glacier Explorers ↩
- Mackenzie Region tourism (mackenzienz.com) · Glacier Explorers ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Lake and River Track ↩
- Mackenzie Region tourism (mackenzienz.com) · Glacier Explorers ↩
- Mackenzie Region tourism (mackenzienz.com) · Glacier Explorers ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Lake and River Track ↩
- Mackenzie Region tourism (mackenzienz.com) · Glacier Explorers ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Mt Cook Glacier Guiding (mtcookguides.co.nz), the operator of the heli hike this site books · Tasman Glacier ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Mt Cook Glacier Guiding (mtcookguides.co.nz), the operator of the heli hike this site books · FAQs ↩
- Mt Cook Glacier Guiding (mtcookguides.co.nz), the operator of the heli hike this site books · The Adventurer: Tasman Glacier Heli Hike ↩
- Mount Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters (mtcookskiplanes.com) · Frequently Asked Questions ↩
- Mount Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters (mtcookskiplanes.com) · Frequently Asked Questions ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Glacier View Track ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Lake and River Track ↩
- The Helicopter Line (helicopter.co.nz) · Tasman Glacier Heli Hike ↩
- Mackenzie Region tourism (mackenzienz.com) · Glacier Explorers ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Lake and River Track ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Tasman Lake and River Track ↩
- Mt Cook Glacier Guiding (mtcookguides.co.nz), the operator of the heli hike this site books · The Adventurer: Tasman Glacier Heli Hike ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Historic Aoraki/Mount Cook ↩
- Department of Conservation (doc.govt.nz) · Historic Aoraki/Mount Cook ↩
- Mount Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters (mtcookskiplanes.com) · Frequently Asked Questions ↩
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