Day 14 Fox Glacier to Haast

The night was again near the freezing point. Woken up by a huge noise. The helicopters are flying back up to the glacier. The day before, it was not possible due to the weather. It's a terrible noise, as there are so many of them. It's somehow not my thing. And I have flown helicopters often.

So I quickly head to Lake Matheson. A beautiful lake near Fox Glacier, famous for its reflections in calm weather. The lake is surrounded by rainforest, and its beauty is breathtaking. I'm not usually a fan of rainforests, but that has changed since this morning.

There isn't enough calm weather today for the perfect reflection in the water. I managed to take some great photos in a few minutes of calmness. After a coffee at the car park, I continue to Fox Glacier. The traffic of rental cars and campers is directed to a car park on a huge embankment. The hike to the lookout point is similar to the one at Franz Josef Glacier the day before. I enjoy the second hike of the day and have walked a total of 20 km at the end of the day.

In the afternoon, I continue towards Haast. The road is steep and winding, with long straight sections in between.

I stop at Bruce Bay, a beautiful wild bay where there is a heap of stones on which people leave their mark. The contrast to the wild bay is a coffee-to-go stand.

At Roberts Point Lookout, the sea is almost in Caribbean colors. It's fantastically warm and sunny. These weather and color contrasts finally captivate me on this day. Wow!

At Ship Creek, the next stop, I climb up an observation tower and admire the Santander River as it flows directly into the rainforest and then into the mountains. While walking around the beach lagoon, I get my first two sandfly bites. They are similar to mosquito bites.

In Haast, the last highlight of the day awaits. One of the typical single-lane bridges across an extremely wide riverbed. One can only imagine how much meltwater from the Alps can come down here. Impressive!

Since there are no freedom camping options in Haast, I decide to stay at a simple campsite on a farm. It has a great atmosphere. The kitchen lounge is a mix of the typical kitchens at campsites, the family's living room, and the travelers from the motel and campsite. It's a wild mix, where the smell of scrambled eggs, bacon, and chicken mixes.

I sit on the back seat with the doors open in the evening sun for almost two hours and try to capture the impressions of this unique day in my travel journal.

In Franz Josef, Fox, and Haast, there was no cellphone coverage and no reliable Wi-Fi. But the weather forecast predicted heavy snowfall for the passes for the night after tomorrow...