The Fox Glacier and Lake Matheson

When we were doing the cycling part of this trip, David Parsons (our cycling guide) told us about the incredible scenery we would find at Lake Matheson. He produced some stunning images showing reflections of snow capped mountains in mirror smooth waters.

Such tales were enough to stir some of the photographers in our group to make the decision that we really needed to be underway by 8 am. And we were. I have to admit that the early views of the mountains from the car park of our motel were something of an appetite whetter.

The drive to Lake Matheson was quite short and we arrived in still conditions, while the last wispy long clouds were just lifting from the mountain tops. A few days ago Maggie was struggling to walk about 5 metres, now she was the one ordering that we all set out on the longer walk option. We were promised we would be rewarded with something called the "Reflection Island" and the even better sounding "View of Views".

OI must admit that the walk was quite enjoyable, even if it had some climbs and descents (and even staircases). When we arrived at the scenic points, we discovered that about 1000 noisy ducks and geese had arrived there before us, While I have nothing against water birds, all their activity was creating ripples and waves which were disturbing the water somewhat. While we still got to see the reflections, it was not the perfect image that David Had shown us.

Towering above the region were the snow capped summits of Mt Tasman and Mt Cook. Even though the glacier was quite a distance away, it was still the closest view we were going to get on this trip.

After our time at the lake, we climbed back in the vans for the long drive to Haast, our home for tonight. Apparently, it is also home to an untold myriad of stinging sandflies. We were advised to saturate ourselves in insect repellant. Charming.Read more