New Zealand Road Trip Day 14 - To Aoraki : Along West Coast, Wanaka and Aoraki

After having breakfast, we departed from Fox Glacier at 9:15am. Our target time to reach at Wanaka by 1pm. But we stop at several lookout like Ship Creek Walk, Thunder Falls. The thunder fall is quite worth to stop and watch. We also stop at several lookout points at lake Wanaka as there is snow cap forming on the top of the mountain.

Breakfast

Morning in the guesthouse

The Kitchen

Ship Creek Walk

Nice Wave, Nice Scenery

Ship Creek

The view at the Ship Creek

The view at the Ship Creek

The view at the Ship Creek

The route in Ship Creek Walk

Thunder Fall

Snow cap at the mountain top

The rental car that had accompanied for 2 weeks

Snow capped mountain at the Lake Wanaka

We reach Wanaka at 2pm. After settled hers bank matter, we bought the Erik Fish and Chip and eat beside the Lake Wanaka while enjoy viewing the snow cap mountain. At 3pm, we fully add the car petrol and depart to Mount Cook direction. When driving through the Lindis Pass, the view quite spectacular as the mountain is so huge and the scenery is beautiful.

Erik Fish and Chip

Lunch at the lake side

Wanaka Lake

Lindis Pass Viewpoint

Another side of Lake Pakaki

At 5:30pm, we reached back the Lake Pukaki Salmon shop again. We back to the same place but we were not going for the salmon. We were here for the scenery, the snow cap mountains view with the lake is quite amazing. After took the photos, we drove to the Aoraki.

Viewpoint at the Pukaki Salmon Shop

View to the Aoraki

We reached the White Horse Campground again but with beautiful snow capped mountain scenery and glacier. We have round the southern alps for around 500km from the left side of the mount cook to the right side of the mount cook. Fox glacier was raining in the morning while Aoraki is partly cloudy. This is due to the broken bride between the Fox Glacier and Franz Josef change our plan.

The temperature in Aoraki is quite cold, around 8C. After we had the dinner, we just stay in the car.

Again

Dinner

Our way to sleep in car

New Zealand Road Trip Day 12 - To Fox Glacier : Lookout Point, Blue Pool, Fantail Fall, Lake Matheson

After having the mueslis with Lewis Road Orchard Chocolate Milk, we shop at the Wanaka New World for the grocery as this is the last hypermarket that we can shop before drive the West Coast.

Breakfast

Camp Site

At 10pm, we were leaving Wanaka and drove to West Coast. We stop at several stops like Lake Hawae Lookout, Lake Wanaka Lookout, Blue Pools and Fantail Falls. 

Lake Kawea Lookout

Lake Wanaka Lookout

Bridge at Blue Pool

Blue Pool

Playing flying rock

Wild Mushroom

Haast Highway Interesting Place

Fantail Fall

Nice lookout along Haast Highway

Then we takeaway our lunch at a supermarket café in Haast town. The fish and chip is only cost NZD7.30. Then we have this lunch at the nearby lookout point call the Knight Point. However, we were attacked by the Sandflies. We quickly take the photos and leave the place.

Fish and Chip take away

Knight Point

The view at Knight Point

We reach Franz Josef around 4:30pm. We went to the Fox Glacier Guiding to ask and book the tour. We booked the 7:50am fox heli hike which is the earliest one as we plan to do the skydive in the afternoon. Then we went to ask the skydive. As there is nobody booking yet, we will walked in to skydive if the weather is very nice.

After that, we went to ask for our stay at the Fox Glacier Lodge. A non-powered site cost NZD35 for two persons. There is no other people around. Hence we can select any place to park our car. But we plan to go to the Lake Matheson first as the weather is quite nice today. The reflection point of the Mount Cook at the Lake Matheson need to hike for an half hour. But we walk round the lake to see which have the best viewpoints. At last, the best viewpoint is the reflection islands. But the weather today is quite cloudy that we couldn’t see the Mount Cook. Then we finish the hike with just 1 and half hour.

Blue mushroom along the hiking route at Lake Matheson

First viewpoint of Lake Matheson

The best position of the reflection at Lake Matheson

Insect 

Spider Web

View at the entrance of the Lake Matheson

Nice sunset

As for our dinner, she fried the rice vermicelli with chicken and vege. We ate the dinner while having the cider. We planned to walk the Minnehaha walk but we see a review that have many sandflies. Hence we cancelled it.

Fox Glacier Lodge

Dinner