Stunning Lake Matheson- West Coast

Catch-up, back to the West Coast again!

The thick fog overnight at Lake Paringa eventually lifted to reveal another stunning West Coast day- eight and counting. It was time for us to hit the road again and make the most of weather; an incoming low pressure weather system promised rain for a few days.

After winding our way through many kilometres of beautiful rainforest, our first stop for the day was where the road eventually met the coast on the remote, wild and windswept Bruce Bay. Usually a large Tasman Sea swell would be pushing in here, waves dumping logs and driftwood on the coarse black sand but today it was rather sedate.

Strewn along the beach amongst the driftwood and usual greywacke stones are many large pure white quartz stones. Near the track is a large pile of these white stones and larger rocks. This is what I wanted to see at Maori Beach.

Passing travellers have written messages on the stones and have built large cairns in several places along the beach. A shrine to lovers, lost souls, waifs, strays and the travelling public! 

Another church for my collection and what a beauty- Our Lady of the River at Jacobs River.  I love the simplicity; the tiny windows, the sign on a stake, the gate and fence. It needs just a bit more snow on those peaks behind to complete the picture.

I spotted the Karangarua River bridge from some distance away, and then it disappeared behind the forest. We stopped near a track that I thought would lead down to the river bed, and it did, but it was quite a walk and then I had to head across the rocks towards the river to get a clear shot looking up the river towards the bridge. 

Most of the rivers south of Franz Josef were bridged during the 1920 & 30s and they were all single-lane suspension bridges, similar to the one one here at Karangarua River. This one was has 130 metre span and is the longest single-lane suspension span still in use in New Zealand.  We also crossed similar bridges over the Fox & Cook Rivers on our way north. I hope they never replace these bridges, they are real treasures; what's a few minutes inconvenience waiting to cross compared to the beauty, character and history behind them.

It wasn't long before we caught sight of the Aoraki/Mt Cook (or is that Mt Tasman/Horokoau) in the distance and knew we were getting close to...

...the tiny bustling village of  Fox Glacier. The high season has all but deserted the Coast and it's many tiny settlements, some of which rely heavily on the spending power of passing tourists. At least those that do travel out of season can get a meal or a cup of coffee without queuing, and a park right outside the door! 

The historic Fox Glacier Heartland Hotel is by far the biggest building in town. Originally opened in 1928 and restored in 2007, the hotel would have seen many climbers, adventurers and travellers from around the world over the years. If only the walls could talk. Fox Glacier is just a six kilometres up the valley behind and under that cloud formation. We'll do the walk to the glacier another day, today we are on a mission.

But not before another stop and another church; a sister to the Jacobs River church- Our Lady of the Snows, at Fox Glacier.  I love the names, and I don't know it yet but there's two more I'll shoot before we leave the Coast.

We're heading to the world famous Lake Matheson, which is just a few kilometers west of the village. Lake Matheson is the most popular walk on the coast and is famous for the mirror view of the Southern Alps, including Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman, in its dark reflective waters. The dark colour is caused by natural leaching of organic material from the surrounding native forest into the lake.

We ease ourselves into one of the large carparks towards the back (this is obviously a busy place in the season) taking up a few parks in the process.  And how's that for a fabulous backdrop, the beautiful Southern Alps. It's hard to believe that just over the top of those mountains is the other side of Mt Cook. Well of course it is, but what I mean is the front side (or is it the back) of Mt Cook, the Mt Cook village, Hooker Valley, Tasman Glacier and Lake Pukaki. It's a whole nother world.

Along with the carparks, there's a large cafe and up-market souvenir shop at the entrance to the lake. This is not quite the picture I had of Lake Matheson; it always looks quite remote and un-spoilt in photos.

But once past the shops, the path turns into your usual well formed DOC track, and it even has the obligatory swingbridge over the Clearwater River which runs close to, but does not drain the lake. 

The complete circuit of Lake Matheson is 4.4kms and it takes about 1hr 30min to walk, this sign is where the loop joins on the anti-clockwise circuit. It's here that we have to decide which way to do the circuit, it's another 10 minutes to Reflection Island going clockwise. It's early afternoon and I'm worried the wind will be up soon, I want to make it to Reflection Island before that breeze kicks in.

A dairy farm borders the lake reserve and the smell of silage assaults the nostrils as we make our way through an open area. I wonder what the tourists think of that, I wonder if they even know what is causing the smell. The sights and smells of rural New Zealand at it's best, cows & pukeko in the paddock and the surreal sight of Mt Tasman & Aoraki/Mt Cook in the background.

This morning's frost is still heavy on the ground in the shade.

I race ahead of David (who's seems to think he's out for a leisurely stroll), making myself stop to capture some gorgeous fungi I spy on the mossy banks along the way.

So far the lake hasn't made an appearance through the thick forest although I know we're following up the north side of it. The path winds up and down through some beautiful bush and then suddenly there's a gap in the trees and I can see the lake, and see how calm it is. Yeehaa! Just what I ordered.

It's still another five or so minutes to Reflection Island so I press on, breaking into a run(trot) when no one is looking. And then finally I arrive....

...and so has that pesky breeze, foiling my perfect reflection of Lake Matheson. Darn!

Lake Matheson is a kettle lake that was formed almost 14,000 years ago as Fox Glacier retreated and left in its wake a massive crater. A kettle lake has no streams running in or out of it, it's basically a large puddle which is topped up by rain. And luckily there's plenty of that on the Coast.

I take a few dozen photos from Reflection Island (and no, you won't have to see them all). David has arrived and left during this process and I can hear his voice off in the distance and from up above somewhere, as I carry on around the lake; he's at the 'View of Views' lookout, regaling some overseas visitors with tales of life on the road.

The lookout is a small space but I manage to squeeze between those that aren't taking any interest in the fabulous view to take a few more photos. You can see the platform rails at Reflection Island in the middle and also the breeze, which is now moving across the lake. 

We carry on around the lake and follow a board walk across a small wetland area.

The next stop is at the Jetty Lookout and the view is once again spectacular even though the two mountains are hidden a little behind the trees. And the breeze has moved on, there's now some mist gathering in the shade.

There have been many postal stamps over the years that feature Lake Matheson and the reflection (I know, I used to collect NZ stamps). This is one of the earlier ones, a Peace stamp issued in 1946 to mark the end of WWII. 

I have always had in my mind, that, what appears to be the taller of the two prominent mountains is Mt Cook, when in fact it's Mt Tasman. I mean who made that decision, Mt Cook, New Zealand's tallest mountain should be in the middle! It's taken me all these years to learn this fact, that's twice I've muddled Mt Cook up, once over the other side too. (Click on the photo to enlarge).

So there you go, Mt Tasman/Horokoau on the left and Aoraki/Mt Cook on the right. We left the jetty and completed the lake loop a short distance later, then made our way back to the carpark...

...where a surprise awaited us. The ute had a puncture, our first one in 3 years on the road and over 48,000kms. It was inconvenient especially with the heavy 5th-wheeler attached but still, it couldn't have happened in a better place; hostess & tea making facilities available, dry ground, warm temperatures, no traffic and a view to die for. And although it was hard work, the tyre was changed with minimal fuss, it was the following 40 minutes spent looking for a misplaced ignition key that wore us out! 

We made the decision to carry on to Franz Josef rather than stay, as was planned, near Fox for a few days. It was the weekend so we'd have to wait until Monday to have the tire repaired and Franz Josef has a bigger village and we'd stay at the NZMCA Park while we sorted things out. 

It was just a short 26kms trip to Franz Josef but boy that section of the road is a tough one; climbing up, and winding down with numerous hairpin bends along an extremely narrow road. It was a relief to finally pull into the NZMCA Park and set up camp for what turned out to be nearly two weeks, as the West Coast rain finally arrived and set in for the duration.

The Famous Skippers Road - Part 1

The road to Skippers through the Skippers Canyon, alongside of the Shotover River is world famous in New Zealand, and is in fact, famous out there in the world too. In 2014 it was labelled by a British driving firm as one of the 22 most dangerous roads in the world to travel.  I wouldn't say it was that dangerous but it's a very difficult road to drive, and a road that rental car companies do not insure for, or allow their vehicles to travel on. All I can say is thank God for that, it's enough to meet half a dozen vehicles coming the other way let alone a few dozen foreign drivers thrown in the mix.

Skippers Road is accessed from the Coronet Peak road, high above the Arrow Basin, where we stop at a lookout to take in the wide sweeping view- the cloud foiled my attempt to get a clear photo though.

Looking right towards Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown with the Coronet Road below.

And then it's onto the Skippers Road with it's many warnings.... 

...and over Skippers Saddle a short distance later with more dire warnings. If this doesn't frighten the bejesus out of you then I guess you're ready to tackle what's ahead... 

Skippers Road was built during the gold rush, when a precarious pack track was the only access to Skipper township and the Upper Shotover diggings, 14kms further up the Shotover River. Constructed between 1883 and 1890, the road was considered a major engineering feat for its day.

Straight down...

Round a tight bend with a huge drop off (don't look out the window)...

Through Hells Gate...

...and we stop briefly to look at Castle Rock across the gully... 

...and check to see how much further down Long Gully...

...the road winds. The scenery is magnificent; dramatic schist bluffs, sheer cliffs, rocky tors and bronzed tussock in all directions. The Richardson Mountains are to the west on the otherside of the Shotover River (which we haven't seen yet) and the Harris Mountains to the east.

It's Saturday and we're a bit worried about the number of vehicles we might meet on the road. There aren't too many areas to pass and because we're travelling downhill we have to give way which means if we can't safety pass we have to back up. Thankfully the first person we see is a mountain-biker coming up the hill (you've got to be keen), later we see perhaps half a dozen other vehicles at various places, all in suitable spots to pass. Good timing by everyone.

We arrive at the bottom of Long Gully to find the remains of the Welcome Home Inn beside the road, a place that sure would have been a welcoming beacon of hospitality after travelling in to or out of Skippers. A place to rest awhile or overnight before tackling the next treacherous section. I'd not like to be in any vehicle driven by someone who might have had one too many to settle the nerves though.

The hotel was the first in the area and was built in 1863 (it would have been pack horses back then). Destroyed by fire and rebuilt twice it was finally demolished in 1951. Click on the photo to enlarge for more details.

We carry on through to the end of the gully before starting to climb again...

...stopping once more, when the road meets the rugged drop off into the gorge and Shotover River far below. During the gold rush, the Shotover River was known as "the richest river in the world". It didn't live up to it's name but it sure drew in the miners. Looking downstream...

...and upstream. Once again the views are breathtakingly spectacular.

And then it's onto the real scary bit (for me sitting on the edge where it seems David is trying to keep as far away from the rock wall on his side as possible). Skippers Road clings to the side of Skippers Canyon, which drops vertically down to the Shotover River below.

This three-kilometre stretch of road involved workers hanging off ropes hand drilling and blasting the solid rock to create a platform, now called Pinchers Bluff, 183 metres above the river. 

The road winds on; we pass Deep Creek where there's a launch area for the jet boats that tour Skippers Canyon and then we stop to view the Pipeline Bungy footbridge, this bungy was once the highest in the world at 102 metres. I'm not so sure it's running anymore, I couldn't find any information on it other than a mention that AJ Hackett (the father of bungy) had purchased it at some stage.

Our next stop is Maori Point, a very important spot in this historic gold mining area. After the first gold was found near Arthurs Point (where we are staying at the holiday park), miners moved upstream until they encountered the first gorge. They had to find their own way over the hills as the river was swift and deep and confined to many narrow steep gorges. They descended to beaches where possible, checking for gold as they went. 

In 1862, two Maori miners (Raniera Erihana & Hakaria Maeroa) made it to a secluded gorge in Skippers Canyon where they made an amazing discovery. They saw a promising area across the river and tried to cross when one of their dogs followed and was washed away. Raniera went to rescue the dog and landed on a small beach. He could see particles of gold in the crevices of the rocks and started to dig in the sandy beach. With the aid of Hakaria they gathered 25 pounds (300 ounces or 11.5kgs) of gold before nightfall. Maori Point was born. Unfortunately, in those days, Maori were not allowed to bank and the men entrusted a friendly clerk with their booty. The clerk promptly disappeared with his loot, never to be seen again.

The flat land below Maori Point soon became the booming settlement of Charlestown. Hotels, butchers, bakers, a post office, a police station and bank were established at Charlestown. The population peaked at about 1,000 but by 1864 the easily gained gold had been won and the population dropped to about 400. Today all that remains are the stones of a fallen chimney below our lookout point, and an information board and this plaque beside us.

We're now getting close to Skippers, across the way we can see the remains of water races and sluicing scars on the plateaus either side of Stony Creek. 

Chinese miners arrived at Skippers in 1866 and re-worked small claims along the Shotover tributaries. Not all Chinese were miners though, some supplied goods and services-    

I love this photo, it's very dramatic, and to give it some scale, have a look for the cottage at the back on the far right of the plateau known as Pleasant Terrace.

In many of the photos you may have noticed dead trees up the sides of the canyon and down into the river bed; here we are passing through them on both sides of the road. 

Wilding Pines are a major problem throughout the South Island's high country, destroying and blotting out iconic landscapes. It's great to see they've been tackled on such a grand scale here in Skippers Canyon. Although it will take over 20 years for the tress that aren't felled, to topple over and start to break down. 

Finally we reach the historic Skippers Canyon Suspension Bridge, which opened in 1901.

The bridge is 96 metres long and crosses over, 91 metres above the Shotover River.

Suspended on 14 wire cables, the single-lane bridge improved access to the Skippers gold mining settlement. The bridge was opened after 3 years of construction and with costs that had doubled to about 4000 pounds (around $700,000 in today's money). 

In reality, the bridge was built a couple of decades too late. By 1901 miners were leaving Skippers and the population had fallen to less than 100. The school closed in 1927 and by the 1940s the settlement was abandoned. Local farmers continued to use the bridge and since 1985 it has provided access to the Mt Aurum Recreation Reserve, which includes the ruins of the town.

To be continued... Part 2