This was our first encounter with a 'swing bridge.' This one was wide and sturdily built.
Our afternoon walk was a track around Lake Matheson, a kettle lake formed when a chunk of glacier separated from the main flow and created a depression, which was initially filled by the melting ice, then by rain. The paths were “well manicured” to use Nicky’s term - they were very well maintained and easy to follow. I was wearing my street shoes, as the paths were so clear.
This trail circled the lake through fern laden understory and we spent a fair amount of time spotting ferns, lichens and other plants of interest. Periodically, the trail would come to the lake’s edge where platforms allowed for vistas across the water. The lake is a favorite spot to take pictures of Mount Cook/Aoraki and Mount Tasman on cloudless, still days with the lake reflecting the white peaks and blue sky. We didn’t have that. However there were plenty of other vistas to appreciate and the difference in the weather added to the enjoyment.
At the end (and beginning) of the loop, the restaurant, the Matheson Cafe, sits with great views of the mountains. Nicky had arranged dinner for us at the cafe, which is normally closed at 1630. The manager, Chris Alexander, prepared a wonderful meal for us. I had a salmon and asparagus salad to start, and a rib eye with a blue cheese tart (and poached egg) that was exquisitely tasty. Dessert was a chocolate tart with berry crème fraiche and ice cream. So we dined watching the setting sun on the mountainsides under the clouds that persisted - although we got occasional glimpses of the upper peaks through breaks in the clouds.
This was our first encounter with a 'swing bridge.' This one was wide and sturdily built.
More beech in bloom.
Seven-leaf Schlefflera.
A variety of Blechnum fern - the red leaves are new growth, the green leaves are 'old' growth …
… and the dark leaf to the lower right is the spore-bearing or reproductive frond. This separation of the reproduction to a specialized frond is characteristic of the Blechnum ferns. This was the image we used for our 2007 Christmas card.
Another fern - this one having a feathery appearance.
The walkers heading up the trail.
This fern had the leaves sprouting from a central stem, like an umbrella.
A view of Tom through the vegetation.
Rimu bark. This is the image I used to make the background to this website.
Where the path was cut through a bank, the mosses and tiny ferns would carpet the exposed earth in green.
A fern frond submerged in the lake.
Taking in the view at an observation deck - Tom, Nicky, Pat and Jim (L-R).
Some of what was being observed.
Jonathan.
Hard tree ferns (Cyathea medullaris). Soft tree ferns (C. smithii) have a 'hula skirt' of dead fronds.
Rimu.
Ducks navigating between the flax on still, reflecting water.
Stopping for another view.
A wild orchid.
Jonathan, leading Jim and Pat, on the trail.
Looking closely at the Fox Glacier valley, you can see the cone shaped peak mentioned on the previous page.
Nicky leading us to the Matheson Cafe, where we had one of the better meals of the trip.
The sun peaked through and the clouds broke somewhat over the mountains behind, the closest we got to seeing Mt. Cook/Aoraki.