Reflections at Lake Mathieson,Fox Glacier

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As we had hoped when we headed for bed last night, this morning has dawned with clear skies overhead making the chances of getting reflections of the mountains in Lake Mathieson a reality.

Together with the clear skies at this time of the year, you also get a frost….of course!

We needed to make a quick getaway for the lake about 6km away so that we made sure we were around the lake before any breeze on the water happened to spoil the hopeful reflections.

There was thought of the use of the ‘good ole credit card on the frosted windscreen trick ‘but this method can give problems in the use of the credit card in the future so we opted for a trickle of water and the wipers in slow motion and hey presto the vision ahead was clear.

There were a couple of other vehicles in the car park at the start of the walk but there was nobody around and we decided we weren’t first up and about in Fox Glacier for the same reason this morning.

The full circuit of this glacial lake that looks like it had been placed in exactly the place it needed to be a photographers dream takes 1 1/2hr and is 2.6km return. It is an easy walking track, mostly flat and very well formed through lush rain forest with tinkling streams every now and then running down to the relatively shallow lake.

One thing that was still apparent as we started out on the walk was that there was light mist handing over the water and we needed that to lift before we got to the best photo spots or we wouldn’t get the reflections that we looked forward to capturing on camera.

We got to the far end of the lake from the car park at a spot called ‘The View of Views’ and got ourselves up the two flights of stairs that looked like a recent addition to the where the best view of the lake with Mt Tasman and Mt Cook in the background.

The sun was hitting the forest treetops and the mist had lifted by the time we got ourselves into place. With the mist lifted all we had to contend with was a small family of 5 or 6 ducks that sent out gentle ripples as they swam that affected the stillness of the water.

Thankfully the ducks weren’t that active and they ‘behaved ‘mostly for us so we were able to get all the photos and video that we wanted over a period of about 20 minutes as the rising sun threw different light on the reflections, forest and the lake water.

Luckily it was only as time passed that we caught the noise of children heading towards us. We hadn’t seen them as we made our way in as they had trekked around from the other side of the lake. But now they were ‘destroying’ the tranquillity of the location and as their voices carried in the small enclosed area of the forest and the lake we could tell from the conversations that they had had enough of the views etc that we were enjoying. Still, kids are kids and we couldn’t blame them for wanting to move on once their attention was attracted elsewhere. Their Dad had done all he could and they didn’t wait long where we were taking the views in and they returned in the direction from where they had arrived from.

We caught up with them again at a location called Reflection Island where the views and reflections got even better than at our first stop principally because the sun had risen further and angle to the water was different.Here though we came across a situation that should never arise at this location except in an emergency!

As we came down the wide stairway we noticed a man talking on his cellphone.This went on for 2 or 3 minutes and his voice wasn’t exactly quiet spoiling the serenity of the location.

Thankfully he moved on as did the kids and their parents leaving us, again, to take in the beauty the locale which we believe is unrivalled in New Zealand.

The café at the start of the walk hadn’t been open when we arrived and over 2 ½ hours had passed so it was time for a coffee and a bite to eat while we continued to gaze up to the Southern Alps and enjoy the two majestic mountains that dominated the view.

Leaving the car park we noticed a road sign pointing to a view of the Fox Glacier and we headed in that direction. However just before the car park for the location the details on the sign had changed and so we carried onto Gillespies Beach 12km away on the coast. The road was supposed to be narrow and winding but it seems as though the local council had done some work on it and although it was unsealed the corners weren’t sharp and it would have only been a bit difficult in one or two spots had we met any traffic coming our way.

Gillespies Beach was similar to Okarito and had started out as a settlement for gold miners after gold was found in the rivers having been washed down from the mountains. All of that is now in the past and all that remained were a couple of houses that looked occupied and a well kept miner’s cemetery with most of the names on the headstones being from Ireland.

Returning from the beach we stopped in at the location where the view of the glacier was supposed to be and found that was exactly what it was. It was just that the location sign didn’t actually say that!

With the view in the distance it was clear that we would have to get closer to get a fuller impression of the retreating glacier.

It was here that we came across another’ phenomenon’ that seemed to have been a practice in a few places we have stopped on the Grand Tour so far.

A male driver had got out of his vehicle and walked down the short distance of 20 metres or so to the viewing spot and had left the engine of his vehicle running! Why does anyone do this? And he kept looking back at the vehicle as if he was concerned someone might get in it and drive it off without him in it! After a moment or two a female emerged from the rear seat and joined him down at the viewing spot and then he went back to the vehicle and turned the engine off.Peace,perfecr,peace!I felt like giving him a thumbs up or high five!

In the afternoon with the weather overhead remaining fine and sunny we headed off to the walking track on the other side of the river which is now the only way, other than a helicopter, of getting nearer to the glacier since the 100 year flood of 2019 which washed out the road which took you to several viewing spots of the glacier.

My hip had played up on the walk back to the car in the morning so Gretchen headed off on the walk on her own while I waited and read my kindle and did some people watching in the car above the boulder wall built to keep the river at bay should another flood eventuate soon.

Gretchen arrived back in 40 minutes having completed the return walk to the glacier view in under the hour the track signpost had suggested it would.

As expected the glacier has retreated back as a consequence of global warming and a change in the length and severity of the weather systems that arrive on the coast from the Southern Ocean.

It had been a great day of sightseeing and we had achieved all we had wanted to and tomorrow it will be time to head on with Makarora in our sights on the other side of pass of 562 metres and the lowest of the 3 mountain vehicle passes that cross the Southern Alps. We are pleased that we had arranged 3 nights stay in Fox Glacier given the day of rain yesterday but the beautiful day today turned out to be.

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