Reflecting on the Okarito Lagoon

---

Day 540 (19.09.08)

Waking pretty early to a deserted campground and clear blue skies, we quickly packed the van to get on the road as quickly as possible - destination Lake Matheson. Arriving to a packed carpark, if there is a clear still day this is the place to go, we put off the idea of brekkie just incase any clouds floated into the frame. Arriving at the reflection island we were treated to the postcard view you see accross the south island with a clear reflection of the southern alps in the lake. Simply amazing. We stuck around for a little while taking in the majesty of it all before finishing off the circular walk back to the van. 9.30am and we had an hours walk under our belt - not bad!

North again retracing the tracks we had made a couple of weeks ago we continued up the coast to Okarito. This small village is situated in the middle of prime bush land on the west coast with its crown attraction being the Okarito Lagoon. This humungous body of tidal water provides a rich habitat for bird life and a perfect kayaking opportunity for people like ourselves. Arriving a little earlier than we thought we would we decided to take the track up the Trig Walk to get the panoramic view of the lagoon, southern alps and glacier - sounded promising. Arriving at the top after a bit of a climb we were treated to a great view and stayed at the top for a while to soak it all up.

Back down to and a quick stop at the beach later we were in the office of Okarito Nature Tours where we had planned to hire a kayak for the lake. The family owned business was great. After deciding on a double kayack, we had a full briefing as to the best areas and inlets to explore, what we might see in terms of wildlife and all the tidal and safety tips we may need. Donning our splash skirts and life jackets and being given a pack with maps, notes on the lagoon and a bird book we were on our way to the lagoon. If you want a pretty easy relaxing kayaking experience, with STUNNING views of snow capped mountains, loads of wildlife (including quite a rare species of White Heron) and small inlets to explore then this it the place for you! As it is off season here there was hardly anyone else on the water and all we could here was birdsong and the fairly regular splosh of our paddles in the lagoon. The owners of the kayaking company have put a cap on the number of kayaks it sends out to ensure it doesn't get over crowded. A brilliant and well organised afternoon.

Finishing up our trip with a free brew and a sit in the sun chatting with the only other kayaker on the water - we reluctantly left to find camp for the night. We had spotted another DOC campground on the map just off the main road just off yet another south island lake. Parking up and cooking up another pasta dinner in the kitchen on the back of the van we settled in for the night.

---