Fox Glacier & Lake Matheson

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Fox Glacier unguided walks
Whilst waiting for the weather to clear up for our Franz Josef glacier full day walk (Blog: Franz Josef), we drove up to Fox glacier and did a couple of the unguided walks. It was cold, grey and drizzly so our one and only fleeces I insisted we bring along specifically with the New Zealand leg of our tour in mind, were becoming permenant attachments. However, this didn't dampen our spirits. Undetered, we set off on the short walk to the terminal face of the glacier to get a close up view (well, as close as the Department of Conservation rightly let you get to highly unstable ice in the shadow of landslides). This was well worth the walk.

The better walk, however, was the one and a half hour (return) Chalet lookout walk. This not only offered a superb vantage point from which to view Fox Glacier, but was also an interesting walk in itself! We had to tip toe and leap our way across loose boulders over a number of raging streams which otherwise blocked the path. These water hazards added challenge (and fun!) to the scenic walk up through a moss drapped tree fern and temperate rainforest.

Lake Matheson and 'that' view
A short drive from the Fox glacier small township is lake Matheson. Much to Sally's initial dismay, there was yet another swingbridge with which to contend. Despite swinging so much it felt like a 10 pint simulator, it is a very tame swingbridge in terms of length and drop so I had little trouble in persuading Sally to cross this one. The lake itself is not that interesting, apart from it's reflective abilities and noisey ducks. There is really only one reason for people to come here and do the one hour plus (return) slightly dull walk around the lake. That is, to get to the viewing platforms that give that stunning view of Aoraki / Mt. Cook (still some 60kms away) and Mt. Tasman.

For the benefit of those not familiar with Aoraki / Mt. Cook, it is an icon of New Zealand (albeit one of many, for this country with an embarassment of natural scenic riches). It is the southern hemisphere's tallest standing mountain at 3,755m (and, if my memory serves me correct, that's about 10m shorter than prior to a huge avalanche that wiped out a sizeable chunk from its peak downwards in 1991). Mt. Tasman and a number of others are not far behind it mind. It was on my wish list of must see/do things. Today it was shrowded in cloud. Yesterday it was emersed in greyness. They don't call it the cloud piercer for nothing.

Of course, you guys are one step ahead of me as you've already seen this blog's headline photo...yes, at the last possible moment, as we left Franz Josef and headed south to Wanaka / Mt. Aspiring National Park, we had one more chance to capture that view. The clouds parted for us at the third time of asking. And what a view from Lake Matheson it was! Well worth the wait on a beautiful morning.

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Photos

Reflections
The cloud cover waiting game. At last, a picture postcard clear view of Aoraki / Mt. Cook (right) & Mt. Tasman (left) in lake Matheson.

Fox Glacier
The glaciers are deceptively huge. Spot the person admiring the terminal face to get some perspective.

Mt. Tasman & Mt. Cook
From Lake Matheson

Water hazards
One of many on the Chalet Lookout Track to view Fox Glacier