Back
Haast Highway: Haast to Fox Glacier, South Westland, West Coast
Photo: Michal Klajban · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped

Drives West Coast, New Zealand The West Coast

Haast Highway: Haast to Fox Glacier

SH 6, Haast Pass Highway, Haast Highway · Haast → Fox Glacier

Leisurely75 mi1 hr 40 min3,000 ft climbHigh point ≈ 600 ftOne way
Scan to drive it in CarvePoint a phone's camera here. It opens ready to drive.
Drive it in Carve, free

Opens this route in the app, or where to get it.

Drive this road
in the appOpen

The drive

This is the southern end of the West Coast's State Highway 6, 120 km (75 mi) from Haast north to Fox Glacier. It is one of the emptiest main roads in the South Island: rainforest, river flats and lakes, with the Tasman Sea showing at a few places along the way.

From Haast the highway runs through a rugged 30 km stretch to Knights Point, where it meets the coast. It then runs inland past Lake Paringa and returns to the shore at Bruce Bay before the final run to Fox Glacier. Curves are mostly gentle, with one twisty stretch, and the drive takes about 1 hr 40 min.

There is no town between Haast and Fox Glacier, so the drive is about distance and quiet rather than traffic.

Along the way

  1. Haast
  2. Knights Point
  3. Bruce Bay
  4. Fox Glacier
Elevation
3,000 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 600 ft
HaastFox Glacier
Curves
Mostly gentle, with one twisty stretch
HaastFox Glacier
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • Fill up in Haast; there is no town between Haast and Fox Glacier.
  • SH6 has been closed by slips and floods on this stretch before, including cracking at Knights Point, and there is no detour there.
  • When SH6 is shut between the glacier towns and Haast, the only way round is a very long detour east over a Southern Alps pass.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check NZTA Journey Planner: highway conditions.

Questions about this drive

How long does Haast to Fox Glacier take on SH6?

Haast to Fox Glacier is 120 km (75 mi) on SH6 and takes about 1 hr 40 min without stops.

Is there fuel between Haast and Fox Glacier?

There is no town between the two, so fill up in Haast before driving the SH6 stretch to Fox Glacier.

Is the Haast to Fox Glacier road often closed?

Slips and floods have closed SH6 on this stretch before, and there is no detour at Knights Point. Check NZTA's journey planner before you go.

What is there to see between Haast and Fox Glacier?

The SH6 drive passes Knights Point, Lake Paringa and Bruce Bay, with rainforest and river valleys between them.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
Preview it in 3DFly the whole drive over satellite and terrain before you go.
Drive it with no signalAPEXDownload the map and every turn before you go.
Live Group TrackingAPEXEveryone on the route, on the map, by name.
Road conditionsAPEXWet or dry, ice, fog and wind along the road before you go.
Record your drivesAPEXRecord a drive and turn it into a route to drive again or share.

Free on iPhone and Android. CarPlay and Android Auto come with Apex.

Download on theApp StoreEarly access onGoogle Play

More drives near here

All 8 drives in West Coast, New Zealand ›

Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

+ Plan a new route
Map of Haast Highway: Haast to Fox Glacier, from Haast to Fox Glacier