Planning a NZ Glacier Hike

Surprisingly (at least to me) is the fact that the relatively small islands of New Zealand contain many glaciers.  According to Wikipedia - there are over 3000 glaciers in New Zealand!  Two famous (and big) glaciers on the South Island are the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers.  These two glaciers are part of another UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Spending time "on the ice" at one or both of these glaciers is generally part of any venture to the South Island.  KW and I are planning to tour one of the glaciers, but won't have time in our visit to New Zealand to tour both.  Have you been to NZ and visited either of these glaciers?  If so, you can help in our planning.

1.  Which glacier and tour company did you find provide the best "glacier experience"?  Franz Josef Glacier Guides provides various hiking and "heli hop" (helicopter trips onto the ice) of the Franz Josef Glacier while Fox Glacier Guides provides the same on the Fox Glacier.

2.  Can you hike onto the Franz Josef Glacier anymore?  I have read that you can hike to the terminal face of Franz Josef, but you can no longer hike on to that glacier because of the way the glacier is receding.  You must heli hop on to Franz Josef.  Can anyone confirm this?

3.  Heli tours are much more expensive (approximately $400 versus $125 for a hiking tour).  Further, we would kind of like to see these natural wonders in a natural way so we are thinking of taking one of the hiking tours.  But the amount of time on the actual glacier is limited when hiking and a lot more physical work to enjoy it.  If you have done both, what would you recommend?

4.  What type of equipment would you recommend we take?  According to the glacier tour company web sites, all the necessary equipment is provided.  Footwear (boots/socks), crampons, waterproof raincoat, over-trousers, mittens, hats are all supplied.  What did you find you needed to bring of your own?  How should we dress for your excursion?

5.  Where should we stay (hotel) in the area?

If you have been to the New Zealand glaciers, fill us in.