Day 34 - Birthday at Lake Matheson

17.01.2015

The weather doesn't look too bad on my birthday. Rain was expected, especially to the south of the glaciers. Before it starts, I set off towards the north after a DIY breakfast in my room. First, I stop at the café where I had a delicious coffee last year and enjoy one in the sun.

Haast Downtown

Haast bus stop

In the i-site in Haast Beach, I quickly gather information about the crested penguins, which are only found here. Monro Beach would be a good spot to see them, but it is only reachable after a 1.5-hour forest walk. I can already imagine swarms of sand flies... So, I decide to continue driving for now.

The road leads through the almost dry riverbed of the Haast River, which is full of huge rocks that come down from the mountains during snowmelt. Behind it, the forest begins again. Huge tree ferns, podocarp trees (called 'Steineiben' in German according to Wikipedia), ferns, palms, bushes - everything is here. I drove this route last year as well.

I don't turn off to the lakes that are along the road here, instead I only briefly stop at Knights Point, a UNESCO World Heritage site, just like the entire Haast region. However, the views are not as breathtaking as last year - there is not enough sun, although it is trying its best. The flies are still here too - it's hard to say if they are the same ones as last year, but they annoy and bite in the same way.

Knights Point

So, I quickly continue my journey and the next stop is Bruce Bay. A long bay, practically uninhabited. The highway runs right along the water, and in the distance, you can see tall podocarp trees and misty spray. But in front of me, there are a lot of wishing stones stacked up. I pick one and leave a mark saying "17.1.2015 Birthday in New Zealand! What a beautiful life! Wiebke from Berlin"

I leave the stone behind and will probably never know how long the writing on the pen will last. A little further on, I have a better view of the trees on the beach and all the wild driftwood lying around. Somewhere back there must be Monro Beach, where the crested penguins might be seen. The hiking trail to there starts shortly after. But walking for 1.5 hours and then not knowing if I will see any? Moreover, two people were just getting ready at the beginning of the trail, putting on long pants, long-sleeved shirts, hats with neck protection, gloves, and a good dose of insect repellent spray. So, it's not fun to constantly hike with these sandflies. The bites usually start itching the next day, they stay for weeks, and they itch for a long time. I still have bites on my ankles and wrists that I got in the first few days on the North Island. Now it starts all over again.

I also think about the weather forecast and my plan to definitely walk around Lake Matheson today, on my birthday, which will take at least 2 more hours - so I decide to continue driving.

My accommodation for two nights is in Franz Josef, the northern town of the two glaciers. So, I first arrive in Fox, but I skip the turn to the glacier and continue driving. Last year, I did the somewhat steep hike to the Fox Glacier, and as long as it doesn't rain, I prefer to do something I didn't manage back then. Shortly after the exit to the Fox Glacier, I turn left onto a road that leads to a parking lot, from where three different hiking trails of varying durations go around or partly or completely around Lake Matheson. The lake isn't large, but the special thing is that the peaks of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman are reflected in the water. Whether I will be lucky enough to see it today is rather uncertain, as the mountains are still covered in clouds. There is no i-site here, no maps, only a café and a souvenir shop.

So, I start walking, it's 1:15 pm, and I take my water and a raspberry white chocolate muffin that I bought yesterday at the General Store in Hawea and smells amazing and looks like it was made by a grandmother. This will be my birthday hiking snack! The trail initially goes through a meadow and then disappears into the woods.

You can catch glimpses of the lake through the trees. It goes uphill and then a few steps down, across a boardwalk over a swampy area, and then at an "intersection" you can decide whether to turn back or go up to the View of the Views via a steep staircase. Of course, I choose to go up. But when I reach the top, the view isn't better than below, and the clouds are still clinging to the mountains. Still, it's a beautiful view. There is a bench here, but a group of Israelis has set up a picnic behind it, and it's too loud for me. The area is about 4 square meters, behind it, the slope goes up and is covered with jungle. So, I go back down the stairs and continue walking. Shortly after, I can descend a staircase to something called Reflection Island.

It's actually just a wooden platform with a long bench where you can have a view of the mountains and the lake, but from about 50 meters below. At first, I'm alone and unpack my amazing muffin. The sun is shining. Everything is fine.

Then two girls come along - of course, they are German. So, we start talking. Both of them are from Hamburg and here for work & travel. They work in the hostel in Fox and are a bit frustrated because they rely on the local buses, which don't even come close to going where they want to go. One bus they wanted to take for an excursion only runs 3 times a week, and other places, like Lake Tekapo, are not accessible with these buses at all. They only work 2.5 hours a day at the hostel, so they have a lot of free time. Fortunately, they are provided with bicycles, but considering the wind, mountains, and the lack of bike paths, it's all very exhausting. Two days ago, they already attempted to go to this point by bike and were exhausted upon arrival. Then they wanted to go to Gillespie Beach, which is a bit further beyond Lake Matheson, and after waiting for 1.5 hours while hitchhiking, only 3 cars passed by without stopping, so they turned back.

Apparently, there is a minimum wage of NZ$ 14.50 in NZ, of which NZ$ 12.20 net remains. It's somehow similar to the minimum wage of EUR 8.50 in Germany. So, the two of them earn 30 dollars per day. You can't go far here with that...They are staying in Fox in the hostel for 9 days, and they were told beforehand to bring all their food. There is no supermarket in Fox, the nearest one is in Franz Josef, and that's 25 km over the mountains. So, they came to the hostel with bags full of groceries.

When they leave, I stay a bit longer. It's already after 4 pm, and I have been here for about 3 hours, trying to hypnotize the clouds away from the mountaintops, which didn't work. Still, it's a stunning view and a memorable hike on my birthday.

I give a ride to a hitchhiker from Belgium who has been traveling for 5 weeks already. She traveled with a friend for 4 weeks, but he had to go back. Now she is also on her own. She did a week-long hike on the North Island. Maybe it's different with a man by your side, but such long hikes and camping in a tent somewhere in the bush are not for me anyway. I drop her off at her hostel in Franz Josef and find my hotel, The Terrace. The receptionist is from the Allgäu region in Germany. She says, "I only speak Allgäu dialect or English." Funny!

Parking almost in the room ;-)

The room is huge, and the bed feels like it has a surface area of 25 square meters. Wonderful! At $160 per night, it is the second most expensive accommodation of this trip (after the motel I stayed at in Russell on Christmas Day). I go out to find a restaurant. As soon as I sit down, it starts raining. I have already been given a heater, but getting wet is not fun. So, I move to a table against the wall and shortly after, inside the restaurant. The restaurant Speights Landing is quaint, and the beer tastes good. The food is delicious. A fish dish with eggplant. A nice birthday dinner. When I leave, it's pouring rain outside, and for the first time, I need to use my backpack cover and the plastic bag rain jacket from the Euroshop to make it back to the hotel 200 meters away.

Franz Josef in the rain

I make phone calls back home and respond to many well wishes that reach me on Facebook, by email, or Whatsapp. By the time I have backed up my photos and dawdled around a bit, it's almost 1 am. The rain has been pouring down for hours. The roofs in New Zealand are mostly made of corrugated iron, which makes the rain extremely loud. My bed is huge and cozy, the bites on my feet are driving me crazy, and my birthday in New Zealand is over.

Daily distance: 157 km