The beauty of the camper van is the flexibility that we have. We hadn't really planned our trip at all before we arrived, but it has taken shape through recommendations from Kiwi friends and Kiwis we've met on the road. If we want to stay an extra night then we can. We haven't ventured down to Queenstown yet, but Arrowtown is small and we think probably a bit more chilled than the adventure capital of NZ.
Last Thursday we were in glacier country (Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers) after making our way south from the lovely Lake Mahinapua. We had been told to visit a place called Lake Matheson by friends and to sample the food at the nearby Cafe Matheson. After one of those days when we hadn't eaten much, the prospect of a really good feed was very motivational as we set up camp and did all our chores. However, the meal was a disappointment. It soon transpired that their signature cooking technique was to drown everything in sauce. Gross! I ordered the salmon which was swimming in a tangy, marmeladey sauce - an acquired taste. I realised if Dad had been there he would have immediately sussed the place out for what it was: a clip joint. Anyway, we were going to write off the lake on account of the restaurant but decided a post-prandial constitutional would help us digest. It was a good decision, because the lake, small and perfectly formed, looked very special in the evening light. It is famously known as the mirror lake because on a clear, still day it offers beautiful views of Mount Tasman. My attempt, below, is imperfect but hopefully you get the idea.
The coastline all around Fox, which I'm sure is spectacular in better weather, really wasn't looking its best the next day in driving rain, so we didn't hang around. We did a short bush walk in the hope of seeing some breeding penguins but when we eventually emerged onto the windswept beach, it was deserted. We continued on, crossing back over the Southern Alps through the Haast Pass in Mount Aspiring National Park. We drove in rain along a wide river plain carved by glaciers in the last Ice Age with steep sided mountains covered in the such dense, lush rainforest. Just stunning. What we couldn't get our heads around was within half an hour we were on the other side of the Alps, driving along Lake Wanaka in 25 degree heat. The green gave way to much drier conditions and a totally different topography. That's one of the things that I love about New Zealand - there is such huge variety in the landscape.
We freedom camped by Lake Hawea on Friday night in a Department of Conservation (DOC) site down a 6km dirt road, which obviously put most people off. Technically we are not insured on unsealed roads, but Tim is an adventurer and unconcerned with such trivialities. It was a lovely spot and so quiet, apart from two large families with kids (disturbers of the peace) who seemed to have set up camp for the holidays. Lake Hawea is the poorer sister to the famous Lake Wanaka which, in bright sunshine yesterday really did look spectacular. Picture below.
It does feel a lot busier now that we are closer to Queenstown and everyone is on the move for Christmas. Apart from hearing Michael Buble's Christmas album everywhere we go, there isn't much sign that people are in the Christmas mood.
The photos below are (in order):
1. Lake Hawea - you can just see the campsite in the curve of the shore
2. View of Mount Tasman from Lake Matheson - it is called the mirror lake as the reflection in the morning/evening is like a mirror. This is not quite mirror quality but near enough
3. Doing some planning with our map of Middle Earth (AL!!)
4. Lake Wanaka
Ps forgive any typos - I'm doing this on the iPad which isn't the easiest...
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