B and G in New Zealand: Westland

Yesterday, we traveled from Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park to Fox Glacier in Westland National Park – a long journey with some beautiful vistas as you cross the Southern Alps. On the way to the coast, we stopped to walk to the Blue Pools of Haast. As we drove along the coast, we stopped at Knights Point and Bruce Bay to get a feel for this very windy and rugged coast (much different than the swimmable east coast beaches). The trees at Bruce Bay are shaped by the strong winds that batter them year round.

Knights Point view

Bruce Bay

Today, we took a day off from our long drive up the West Coast, to enjoy the sites of Fox Glacier. We really looked forward to our walk around Lake Matheson, and we weren’t disappointed. Mt Cook and the glaciers were reflected in the water. We saw lots of ferns and fungi in the forest as we walked around the lake. G enjoyed the pukekos and the cows that grazed the surrounding fields.

Lake Matheson - viewing Mt. Cook and Fox Glacier

Blue mushroom

Wall of ferns

Cows and pukekos

Later we walked near the base of Fox Glacier. As we drove to the parking lot from the highway, we noticed signs marking where the base of the glacier had been in 1750 and in 1935.

Fox Glacier

River bed below Fox Glacier

When we departed Fox Glacier, we drove north for half an hour to Franz Josef Glacier and hiked up to a lookout to get a good view. We didn’t stay long as we had a long journey ahead of us.

Franz Josef Glacier

At one of our stops along the way, we found a beautiful view and a very friendly weka. Wekas, also known as woodhens, are a flightless bird that is endemic to New Zealand. They are protected like the kiwi as they suffer from predation.

West Coast view

weka - flightless

Further north on the west coast, we stopped at Paparoa National Park, near Punakaki, to view the Pancake Rocks. DOC provides a very nice walkway to view these amazing formations. At one point, you cross over a natural bridge with the water surging in below you.