Lake Matheson

Lake Matheson lies a few minutes west of Fox Glacier village, in a hollow left behind when the glacier retreated. Its water is stained dark brown by leaf litter from the surrounding forest, and that darkness is exactly why it works as a mirror: on a still morning the surface holds an almost unbroken reflection of Aoraki and Mount Tasman, the two highest peaks in the country, standing above the bush on the far side. A flat loop track runs right around the shore through kahikatea and rimu, with viewing platforms built out at the two points where the mountains line up. The circuit takes about ninety minutes at an easy pace.

What you actually see

• The reflection - Aoraki and Mount Tasman mirrored in the dark water on calm mornings.
• The View of Views platform - the jetty at the far end of the loop, built for the mountain line-up.
• Podocarp forest - tall kahikatea and rimu along the whole circuit.
• The dark water - the tannin-stained surface that makes the reflection possible.

When to go

Dawn on a windless, cloudless morning is the only time the reflection is reliable, and those mornings are not common in a place this wet. Autumn and winter bring more settled, frosty starts than summer does. The track is easy year round, and even without the mountains the forest walk stands up on its own. There is no gate, so early starts are possible.

Honest expectations

The peaks are hidden by cloud on most days, and even a light breeze wipes the reflection out, so many visitors walk the loop and see brown water and trees. Sandflies are ferocious around the platforms, especially at dawn. The track is flat but muddy after rain. The car park is small and fills quickly once the tour buses reach Fox.

Nearby

Fox Glacier village is minutes away, with Gillespies Beach on the coast and Franz Josef half an hour north.