Welcome Flat

Welcome Flat Hot Pools is a highly popular natural geothermal hot spring site in the Westland Tai Poutini National Park of New Zealand's South Island, located at the end of a 17-kilometre return day walk through spectacular ancient podocarp and southern beech rainforest in one of the world's fastest-changing glacial landscapes — the Franz Josef and Fox Glacier region where the glaciers have retreated dramatically due to climate change but the surrounding World Heritage forest remains pristine. The siliceous spring-fed pools, accessible free of charge to all trampers completing the Copland Track, are known for their naturally warm water (around 40°C), their open riverside setting with views of the glacier-carved Copland valley, and the profoundly satisfying physical reward they provide after the demanding forest approach track. Welcome Flat represents the gold standard of New Zealand's DOC-maintained wilderness hot spring experience — completely free, genuinely wild, and requiring meaningful effort to access, embodying the democratic and adventurous ethos of New Zealand's outdoor culture.