The Ultimate Guide To Lake Matheson - Visting The Famous Reflection Lake
One of the most popular lakes in New Zealand and famous for it’s mirror reflection is Lake Matheson located in Fox Glacier on the West Coast of the South Island. If you plan on visiting this beautiful lake, read on for a guide to the Lake Matheson walk, including tips on when to visit and how to get that perfect shot.
Our journey to witnessing and capturing the beautiful mirror reflection was a long one - 4 months to be exact. We visited this lake 3 times over the space of a few months (we checked the weather and planned in advance but the West Coast weather can be all over the place) only to be let down with either cloud cover, rain or wind affecting the shot we were after. We continued our travels around the South Island all while checking the Fox Glacier weather daily waiting for the right moment. It wasn’t until one early morning last winter that we tried for the 4th time and finally got the shot of our dreams!! We could barely contain our excitement as we literally sprinted with all our camera gear to the viewpoint (after having seen the mountains clear at the carpark) afraid that any minute the cloud would come and obstruct our view just like it had every other time.
So why the big fuss? When all the elements come together and you get to witness New Zealand’s tallest mountain Aoraki/Mount Cook reflected in Lake Matheson you’ll be picking your jaw up off the floor. I promise this will be a memory you will cherish forever.
If you haven’t already witnessed Aoraki/Mount Cook from the other side you MUST add this to your list of places to see. It’s probably the most impressive place in the country.
“The lakes incredible reflecting properties are due to the dark brown colour of the water – the result of organic matter leached from the humus of the forest floor.”
The Lake Matheson walk itself is an easy one (for every level) and will only take around 1 hour to do the full loop from the carpark. We highly recommend doing the loop track as there are so many different viewpoints along the way. The jetty viewpoint is our favourite and where we captured our dream image. The parking is free and there’s a little cafe and souvenir shop as well as toilet facilities.
Best time to visit.
Lake Matheson is a great spot to visit anytime of year, however we’ve found winter on the West Coast is when the weather is the best and clearest. When it comes to the best time of day sunrise and sunset are going to be your best bet as the wind calms down around these times. Make sure you’re constantly checking the weather as it seems to change so quickly. We use the Windy app which works great! If you’re not to worried about seeing the mirror reflection you’ll find the track to be a lot quieter during the middle of the day. Just remember if you decide to visit at dawn or dusk to bring insect repellant. You are on the West Coast after all.
Where to stay.
If you’re travelling in a campervan (let’s be honest, this is the best way to see the country) then you can stay at DOC site Gillespies Beach for $8 per person. Alternatively there are air bnbs, hotels and motels in Fox Glacier or in Franz Josef (only 30 minutes away). The beach site is only 20 minutes away from Lake Matheson so is the best place to stay the night if you’re wanting to get up early to do the walk for sunrise. This is what we did and it worked out perfectly.
