The Franz Josef Glacier is located on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island, where it lies within the Westland National Park. The area that surrounds the glacier is known as Te Wahipounamu, which is a World Heritage Site. The Franz Josef Glacier finishes 19 kilometres away from the coast, where the Waiho River flows out of it into the Tasman Sea. This 12 kilometre long glacier descends out of the Southern Alps to a height of just 300 metres above sea level. At this point it sits between lush green temperature forests, which make it unique amongst all other glaciers in the world with the exception of Fox Glacier, 20 kilometres further south. The name Franz Josef Glacier is taken from the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and it was given this name in 1865 by the German explorer Julius von Haast. Guided tours of the glacier are available and the Franz Josef Glacier receives about 250,000 visitors each year.