Day 4 - Bruce Bay-Salmon Farm-Knights Point-Haast-Wanaka

The temperature was so freezy in the morning, so lazy to get out from the warm bed... After a own cook hot breakfast, we were heading to a small lovely town - Wanaka. There were many stopover on the journey from Fox Glacier to Wanaka.

Not far from Fox Glacier, there is a very beautiful beach set along the road. The sand is grey, cold wind, and misty. Toke some photo, and quickly get in the car... because it was so freezy!
Heading south, we are attracted by a road sign stating 'Salmon Farm'. We made a rest stop at salmon farm, have a cup of coffee and smoke salmon sandwich for our brunch....delicious desu.

Stopover at Knight Points. from here, we are facing the earth's Southern Polar.

The beach down there is a seal colony, my camera can't zoom that far to picture the seals.

Haast tourist information center.

Finally arrived Wanaka town at late afternoon. Lake Wanaka is a place to take a deep breath and relax. Protected from the outside world by the grandeur of the mountains, we’re enclosed in a hidden paradise. We both love this lovely wanaka town. It has not much tourist as other destination, infact, we managed to drove in to the housing area whereby some churches and schools are set for the locals.

Lake Wanaka (Post Card Image)

Exploring Wanaka

Crystal clear lake waters lap the shores of Wanaka town and the feet of the Southern Alps, which are home to winter ski fields and the dramatically alpine Mount Aspiring National Park. HUngry Hungry Hungry...

This restaurant served this 'Blue Cod Seafood Pizza', it is the best pizza we've ever tried. miss it!
Exploring the town on the rest of the day. Walk on the lakeside, graps some staff from the local super market, and ended today with self-cooked lamb chop at Hostel. Good Night my love Wanaka.

Purple Cow Hostel

Mountaineous view on Wanaka street

View from housing area.

Day 3 (afternoon) - Lake Matheson

Lake Matheson (photo from google)

It was 10 mins drive from our holiday park in Fox Glacier to the magnificient mirro like Lake Matheson. According to the tourism broucher, this lake has combined exactly the right ingredients to create truly stunning reflections of New Zealan's highest peaks - Aoraki (Mt.Cook) and Mount Tasman. The lake were formed 14,000 years ago. So excited to see this lake....

The waters of Lake Matheson are darks brown, so on a calm day they create the ideal reflective surface. Unfortunately, when we arrived Lake Matheson, the sky was not clear enough to create mountains reflections on the lake. There was a walking track from the car park to round the lake, and it toke 1.5 hours a round trip. The track continues through ancient native forest, the fern trees are every way to a pontoon that extends out onto the lake.

Crossing a bridge above the creek. Mirro reflection lake Matheson

The sky is not so clear... Fern Leave Fern trees along the walking track. Feel like jungle tracking.

Day 3 - Fox Glacier Heli-hiking

Exploring Day 3



Today we are going for an adventurous activities where what everyone doing when come to Fox Glacier --- Experience the walks on the Glacier!

You will find several guiding company located alongside the main road. The Fox Glacier Guiding company which we chosen offer a full range of hiking tours and ice adventures to suit all fitness levels. We chosen a tour package that required moderate fitness yet adventurous, and the important part is that we got the opportunities to experienced the helicopter riding up to the glacier. The fly-in, fly-out Heli-Hike combines the excitement of walking on the Fox Glacier with the thrill of helicopter flights. By flying in, we are able to access and explore a part of the glacier where its forces work hardest and often create spectacular ice caves and arches.

Equipped with sturdy leather boots and other equipment, we boarded the helicopter for our first flight over the pinnacles of the lower icefall.

The "white" mountain" is where we are going to

River gravel view from helicopter

Fox Glacier



The lower icefall. Here, the ice is in constant motion.



after a 10 mins ride, we landed the starting point. The landing site on the ice is a remote and exceptionally beautiful part of the glacier. Our guide outfits us with crampons, specially designed for these ice conditions and we started to follow the ice steps cut by our guide as we explore the amazing ice formations...

Lady guide from USA cut the ice steps for the group to step on safely. The total on ice time is 2.5hr.

Amazing ice formation, some form ice arches, some form caves.
Can't descript in word, so, just let the photos talk...























Click the link below to know more about Fox Glacier.
Fox Glacier Fact: http://www.foxguides.co.nz/facts.asp