10/04/2018 - Access road open

After the energy-draining hike of the previous day on the "Roberts Point Track", we slept really well last night. We woke up with slightly heavy legs. Like almost every morning, we wanted to start the day with an invigorating shower. Packed with towel and shampoo, we headed towards the shower block. On the way there, we wondered why there was still no light in the kitchen!? When we reached the showers, we had to realize that the light in the bathroom didn't work either and there was no hot water. It quickly became clear to us: there was probably a power outage. We took a seat in the common room, which was located near the kitchen. Slowly, the other campers arrived and inquired about the current situation. Meanwhile, the caretaker came and lit the fireplace. Seclusion can be so cozy. But after ten more minutes, the spell was already broken and everything went back to normal.
After breakfast, we went to the "Fox Glacier". After last time, when we were still standing in front of a closed access road, we were all the more pleased that the construction work was largely completed and we could still visit the glacier.
As we drove along the road, we got an idea of the extent of the flooding two months ago. The entire road was washed away and the new path had to be built up. The area around the parking lot was still a huge construction site. When we took on the hiking trail, we soon had to stop again. Gigantic construction vehicles crossed our path. Completely crazy. Excavators and co. crossed the hiking trail in several places to transport debris and stones from A to B.
The track runs, as with the "Franz Josef Glacier", through the former glacier valley. The surroundings at Fox Glacier, however, were not quite as impressive as at its larger neighbor. After about 30 minutes, we reached our destination. We were greeted by strong gusts of wind. We had already been warned about this at the beginning of the hike. However, there had been nothing to feel so far. But when we reached the viewpoint, we almost flew away. Winds of around 70km/h were blowing around our ears. Taking pictures became a real challenge.
The glacier that we saw was very small. Probably only a fraction of its total size is visible, but here too the retreat is worrying. The melting of the glacier seems to be progressing inexorably.
When the wind became too wild for us, we set off on the return journey. We took a slightly longer break at the construction site. Watching the big tipper truck and its helpers at work impressed and interested us very much. Everyone went about their work - some cleared away rubble, others sifted through stones, and others transported debris. A few of them were forced to cross the river that originated from the glacier. But this is not a problem at all for the monstrous vehicles.
The rest of the afternoon was supposed to be more relaxed. "Lake Matheson" was not far from the campsite and easy to reach by car. Once there, we decided to take the 1.5-hour walk around the lake. After only 15 minutes, we reached the lake shore for the first time. In addition to the beautiful location, the view reflected on the surface is a special feature of the lake. If the weather conditions are right, the high, partly snow-covered mountains are reflected in it. Even "Mount Cook" can be seen in the best conditions. Unfortunately, it was quite windy, so the effect could not develop optimally. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere.
Our thighs were still quite heavy, so we completed the walk at a pleasant pace. This allowed us to pay attention to the details of New Zealand's nature. In addition to beautiful ferns, we discovered blue (!) mushrooms at the edge of the path. Unbelievable but true. The mushrooms are called "Entoloma hochstetteri" and are typical for the West Coast of New Zealand. We didn't check whether they are poisonous or not. ;)
Afterwards, it was all about "putting our feet up". Tomorrow, the journey will continue towards "Wanaka".