Wanaka, Fox Glacier, Hokitika, and Greymouth
On the road between Wanaka and Fox Glacier, South Island, New Zealand
Our New Zealand Road Trip Moves Along
After a couple of adventurous and fulfilling days at Lake Tekapo and Aoraki / Mt. Cook National Park, it was time to move along on our New Zealand South Island road trip.
The goal had been to continue south to the Milford Sound, and we checked the reports daily to see if roads would reopen after extensive rainfalls, road washouts, and closures.
Unfortunately, the roads remained closed, so we picked another route that would take us through Wanaka to the West Coast.
We covered 600 kilometres, 373 miles in two days from Twizel to Greymouth
It became a bit of a whirlwind and a slightly rushed road trip where we perhaps did not explore as many locations due to less-than-ideal weather conditions around Fox Glacier.
It was a stretch with ups and downs. One of the downsides was that I failed to back up my photos from Fox Glacier, Hokitika, and Greymouth, so we have relied on a few iPhone photos from this leg of our journey.
On a couple of occasions, we lost photos when cameras were either misplaced or stolen, but I believe this was the only time during our 5050 travel project that I lost photos due to a missing backup. This is despite a rigorous backup routine, which you can read more about in our photography tips here:
The rolling hills south of Twizel reminded us of the landscape around Kamloops in BC, Canada.
Twizel to Wanaka
Breakfast was in the campground kitchen, and we met a Swedish couple with two children. They lived in Shanghai and were in New Zealand seeking refuge from the unfolding coronavirus situation. Little did we know its scope at the time.
We were on the road by 9 am. Some of the areas we drove through reminded us of our home region in the Okanagan Valley, Canada, and especially when we arrived in Wanaka, the resemblance to the town of Penticton was uncanny.
The beach and hillsides of Wanaka, New Zealand
Wanaka was hosting a triathlon race and I have covered several triathlon races and even an Ironman in Penticton with my good friend Carl.
Again everything about Wanaka reminded us of Penticton, right down to the hillsides and quaint shopping street which we explored for a while.
The Wanaka Tree is probably the most photographed tree in the world and for that reason alone I decided against finding it. The chances of getting a good shot of it in the mid-day sun were also minimal.
Lake Hawea on a beautiful summer day
Wanaka to Fox Glaicer
We quickly stopped for groceries in Wanaka and made sandwiches for the car ride. As we drove from Wanaka towards Fox Glacier, we were surprised to see how sparsely populated the South Island is. As many people live in Auckland as on the entire South Island.
The following two paragraphs are for camera nerds only!
At the Lake Wanaka viewpoint, we met a nice Swiss couple. I noticed he had a very nice Leica Q camera with a fixed lens. I asked him if he wanted to try one of my lenses, knowing he was not able to change lenses despite the fact that the camera was so nice and quite expensive.
He started explaining to me that his camera had only one lens, etc., until it dawned on him that I was pulling his leg. He looked up, all smiles, and we both had a good laugh. :) We swapped travel stories and talked about photography gear for a while.
Blue Pools. A perfect stop along highway 6 on the South Island of New Zealand
Blue Pools
When we reached the Blue Pools along highway 6, we were ready to stretch our legs and perhaps even go for a swim. We packed our towels and snacks in a small pack and hiked the short distance to the pools.
We found a nice spot on the rocks along the water. Persisting, tiny little sandflies, however, ensured that this would not be a spot where we would hang out for long.
Despite the frigidly cold water, I decided to go for it. I'm not sure of the exact temperature of the water, but as I recall it, this is the coldest swim I have ever had. Perhaps needless to say, my time in the water was very brief.
The rolling hills/mountains at the Blue Pools along Highway 6, South Island, New Zealand
Despite the sandflies, this was a wonderful and recommended stop. The surroundings were drop-dead beautiful, and the quick dip was very invigorating.
Haast and Fox Glacier Arrival
The road winding along the Haast River eventually led us to the west coast. We stopped at the Knights Point Lookout and gazed at the Tasman Sea and the wicked tree formation along the coast near Haast. It was beautiful.
In Fox Glacier, we booked a nice suite at the Rainforest Motel. We took advantage of the full-size kitchen and prepped a home-cooked meal. We paid $98.00 for one night. We were tired after a 10-hour day on the road, but looking forward to exploring the West Coast further.
Highway 6 on the West Coast at Ship Creek
Fox Glacier - Lake Matheson
We considered various options for visiting the Fox Glacier, but the low-hanging clouds over the mountains were a deciding factor. Instead, we decided on a short hike at Lake Matheson, which is known for its phenomenal reflections of the Fox Glacier in the lake.
Lake Matheson is a 3.8-kilometer hike, 2.4 miles flat, with decent views of the lake. We met two couples from Viborg, Denmark, who were traveling in New Zealand for three weeks. We exchanged Danish backgrounds and travel stories.
The weather was decent, but overcast, and the wind made capturing the elusive glacier reflection photo impossible, and the glacier was still hidden in the clouds.
We had a nice lunch at the restaurant by the parking lot. Overall, it was a decent little hike, but it will not make it to our “highly recommended” list. Nicer weather may have resulted in a different verdict.
Hiking at Lake Matheson near Fox Glacier
Hokitika
Hokitika was a wonderful stop; during the peak of summer, we could have stayed much longer. The quaint little town had lots of shops, and we even made a brief stop at the National Kiwi Centre.
Our time in Hokitika was mainly spent walking along the beach on the Tasman Sea. It was a great experience seeing the hundreds of driftwood sculptures. The imagination was unlimited as to what could be created with driftwood.
It was easy to find a good reason to have ice cream and also find a coffee for the road.
Driftwood sculptures on display in Hokitaka
Greymouth
The Duke Hostel in Greymouth will stand out in our memory. It was a cheap, myriad of corridors, dirty, quaint, and a one-night-stop kind of a place.
We were not too concerned due to our short stay, but we probably cannot recommend it. It was, however, an experience to behold. We paid $46.00 for one night.
The Duke Backpackers Hostel in Greymouth, New Zealand
The Chinese Restaurant we picked for dinner was quite good, but sorry to say, we cannot recall the name of it. We jumped in the car and hit the Southern Breakwater Viewing Platform right on the coast, where we watched the sunset and a lone surfer improving his skills.
Sunset in Greymouth, New Zealand
Greymouth had an end-of-summer vibe and felt like a ghost town. We did not mind; it was as if we had the town to ourselves. It was somewhat reminiscent of the mood I recall growing up on the West Coast of Denmark when summers drew near the end.
Read the following post from our South Island road trip:
Viewing the sunset from the car in Greymouth on a windy evening on the west coast of the South Island in New Zealand
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The photos in this article are made using a Fujifilm X-Pro2. Lenses: XF 14mm f/2.8 R - XF 23mm f/1.4 R - XF 35mm f/1.4 R - XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR (links to my camera and lens reviews). Editing was done in Capture One Express. I used Fujifilm film simulations for some of the photos.
