Day 10: Fox to Wanaka
Day 10 – Thursday 28th Feb – Reflective lakes
We left Fox and drove to Matheson Lake to photograph Mount Cook, a snow-capped mountain and a very big one. The lake formed a perfect reflection of the mountains and trees above and I took lots of
‘reflection photos’ and sent one to Mum. We walked all the way around Matheson Lake. It was absolutely beautiful and had lots of viewpoints to capture great shots. After Matheson Lake we drove
on to another stopping point to join a long footpath down to Monro Beach (which once joined part of the ancient super-continent ‘Gondwanaland’) where we went beach-combing and encountered swarms of the infamous New Zealand sand flies. We sprayed loads of
locally-purchased fly repellent on ourselves and it seemed to put them off, but it didn't stop them flying around my face and hair. In spring there are sometimes Fiordland Crested penguins along that beach, but they were hiding from us that day. The beach is protected and visitors are instructed not to
approach the penguins.
I picked up two small stones that I was sure were greenstone. Well they were green but not translucent so not jade. After Monro beach we had a long drive on to Wanaka. The journey was absolutely
stunning taking in mountains, lakes and waterfalls along the way. We stopped at a salmon farm where we bought some lunch. They had gluten-free cake and it was very nice; called ‘hummingbird cake’.
After driving through the Haast Pass in ‘Aspiring’ National Park, we arrived at the beautiful town of Wanaka with its breathtaking views of the
surrounding snow-capped mountain peaks and glacial lakes Hawea and Wanaka. It is a very ‘hip’ lakeside town with some great bars and restaurants. The Wanaka Hotel was very nice. We had dinner at
‘Relishes café’. Jeff had a lovely fish dish and a butternut jus. I had Manuka roasted halloumi which was really creamy and gorgeous. Both dishes were
exquisite and very tasty. Good Food.
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