Our Great Adventure: Hokitika Day 175 12/03/2015

Before leaving Fox Glacier we thought we'd walk around Lake Matheson, the famous mirror lake just east of the town. The weather was dry although a little overcast but we thought it was still worthwhile going to see the reflection of the mountains in the water. It was a lovely walk taking just over an hour with wonderful views and the reflections in the water were crystal clear. After coffee in the cafe we drove up to the Fox Glacier carpark and walked up to the terminal face. Nowhere else at this latitude do glaciers come so close to the ocean, mainly a result of the west coasts rainfall. The glacier is retreating rapidly and it was amazing to see how far the marks where, showing where it had reached down the road not that many years ago. From here we drove the short distance to Franz Josef Glacier and walked along the river bed and moraine to the terminal face. Like Fox Glacier it has retreated significantly and the walk was much further than Diane had done when she came here in the late 1990's. After filling up with significantly the most expensive petrol we've bought so far we set off north towards Hokitika where we'd decided to stay for the night. It was a toss between here and Okarito which is nearer. Both are on the coast however Hokitika is blessed with a fish & chip shop and we'd decided to treat ourselves whilst watching the sun set. The road goes through a mix of rainforest and farmland backed by the Southern Alps to the east and the Tasman Sea to the west. We checked in at the campsite and then headed to the takeaway to buy dinner before driving the very short distance to Sunset Point which is a spectacular vantage point for watching the sun drop over the horizon and the light fade.