22.12.2017: Just a perfect day

Since our hostel for tonight has no more rooms available, we have to move to the Fox Village, 30 km away, at short notice. But that's not so bad, as we will be spending most of the day in the area anyway.

But first, we still have to do the popular Franz Josef Glacier Track. On 150 m you can get close to the glacier. You should plan about an hour and a half for the round trip. The glacier is still 12 km long today; that sounds impressive, but once again the illustrated evidence shocks us how quickly the ice masses are shrinking. There is a lot of activity at the glacier and the sight is impressive, but it can't really compare to the view from the Robert's Point Track.

We continue driving and initially check into our four-bed room in the same hostel in Fox Village, where I already stayed in 2013. This is mainly to still have a free choice of beds and to cool down the food.

Then we go outside again. Our destination is Lake Matheson, a popular spot for many travelers and New Zealand's most famous mirror lake. It gets a second chance today, as the reflection of Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman was denied to me in 2013 due to bad weather. Back then, frustrated, I bought a postcard that revealed the true beauty of the lake. And even today, despite much better weather, luck is not on our side. While the sky shines in its most beautiful blue, the mountains hide behind the clouds and the wind blurs the water surface. Nevertheless, we still walk around the lake, each with a glimmer of hope in our luggage that maybe it will clear up after all, but unfortunately it doesn't. My pictures from back then are identical to today's. Just an ordinary dark lake with a few ducks swimming. Great...

Disheartened, we drive back to Fox Village, treat ourselves to an ice cream in the local supermarket, and look for a restaurant for dinner. Until then, we relax at the hostel. We are back at Café Névé around 7 p.m. and both order a large salad bowl. Eric and I are not really full after that, so we buy a pizza in the small supermarket, which we bake in the hostel.

Since the clouds have disappeared around the mountains, we head back to Lake Matheson shortly before dusk and can hardly believe our luck. The mountains are actually reflected on the water surface and the wind has largely subsided. We now quickly walk the round trip to the respective viewpoints for the second time. At the boat dock of Reflection Island, a whole horde of photographers has gathered - some with really professional equipment.

Lake Matheson: On the third attempt, we finally part ways in peace - I love stories with a happy ending!

That would actually have been the perfect closing sentence, but the day is not quite over yet. There is still a little walk on the list that we have to wait for darkness to fall. It is a 1.2 km circular path through the forest, where you pass many glowworm hotspots. Simply magical - you would love to linger forever in the silence of the forest and watch the little glowing dots. When we have finished the round, we look for a dark open space to be enchanted by the dense starry sky. The sky is clear and even the Milky Way is clearly visible tonight. I would have loved to capture the phenomenal sight in a photo, but the camera says 'No' - no matter which mode I try, the picture is always blurry despite using a tripod. Only one thing can make this moment perfect now, and as if on cue, a shooting star actually falls from the sky. I am filled with happiness, until I realize that the shooting star is moving unnaturally slowly - unfortunately, it wasn't a shooting star at all, and my wish remains unheard in the dark night. So I will continue to look out for my very first shooting star - maybe it will still work in New Zealand, after all, the chances here are high due to low light pollution.