Saturday 12th January, 2019.
The morning started late with a lie in and some breakfast in Haast. I had an awful night sleep with what felt like the flu but was most likely heatstroke from the pervious day.
We got on the road and headed towards Jackson bay. A 100km round trip there and back but definitely worth it. Secluded, wild and rugged beach with a back drop of incredible mountains. It was a landscape I’d never seen before. All that wrapped up with the potential sightings of hector dolphins and more penguins. Alas, we saw neither.
From there we drove further north heading towards the glacier roads. Long, windy roads with rainforest draped either side with the occasional sighting of the rugged Tasman sea.
A few stops along the way for naps, coffee and a few little walks along the coast line we finally reached Fox Glacier. A little town under the Fox Glacier.
Lake Matheson was next up and man, what an incredible view. We finally saw Mount Cook and Tasman pop through the clouds and reveal their harsh snowy peaks! It was an incredible view and something inside me said “I’ve got to climb that one day…”\
Potentially this year I’d like to complete my mountain leader course and then get onto a mountaineering course too. That’ll set me up for future climbs that we’d like to do in the future and maybe with a bit more money behind us, ha.
The walk around the lake was stunning. Mirror perfect reflections in the water, beautiful sounds and smells and a wonderfully designed trail around the lake itself.
Potentially one of the best walks/views we have seen on this trip. If you’re in New Zealand, make this walk/town one of your must stops. The walk was absolutely fabulous. Peaceful, scenic and breathtaking.