Finding Fox Glacier

Packing up Saturday morning, it was hard to say good bye to Betty and John Turnbull (at The Milestone B&B), our Queenstown hosts who thoroughly welcomed and spoiled us. We headed north for 230 miles from the Southern Lakes area to the West Coast.

We drovestraight up – or so it seemed – along the Crown Range on the way to Lake Wanaka. Mountain peaks surround the lake; we stopped for a walk and short explore…before continuing on to find the fishing hole on the Clutha River. Willi spotted the ‘big one’ and Eric got out his gear. The conditions were perfect for Eric and the fish…both left happy.

On we went towards the Haast Pass – that cuts through the Mt. Aspiring National Park with stunning views of the Southern Alps. We stopped for a hike through thick bush where beech trees towered and native birds called brightly as we passed. Next stop was the Blue Pools – a New Zealand “Must See”. A short hike led to swing bridges that cross at the confluence of the Young and Haast Rivers. What a treasure of a sight!

Returning to the car, we continued north. Surrounding peaks with ribbons of waterfalls rose through the clouds. The clouds lowered as we drove north…and our first sight of the Tasman was misty. We arrived at our motel at Lake Matheson- Fox Glacier just as the rain began.

West Coast rains are ‘signature’ events. Lightning, thunder and wind easily made ‘horizontal’ rain possible throughout the night. In the morning, still raining, we lingered over breakfast.

It was going to be a ‘lazy day’ with the roads we had just traveled closed off to the South and the roads to Franz Joseph Glacier and its nearby town isolated by flooding and rock slides. The West Coast really has perfected Rain.