Awesome Day

What a difference a day makes!  We awoke to a dry, if grey, day and after breakfast headed to the Fox Glacier to make the most of it with a walk to the terminal face. 
Awesome is an over-used word here in NZ but I'm going to use it a lot today.  The glacier was awesome, blue ice, massive and the river tumbling down was also blue in places and with chunks of ice in it.  The surrounding mountains were sheer and dark with water falling from them.  Very impressive. 
After a rather yummy steak that Al cooked for lunch we decided to make the most of the dry day with a trip out to Lake Matheson - the famous reflective one.  We were not disappointed. 
We walked through wonderful rainforest with waterfalls and tiny gardens made of mosses and ferns, great birdsong and hardly any people.  There were awesome views of the glacier and the surrounding mountains although the tops of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman themselves remained in the clouds.  We walked all the way around the lake and then got back to a nice cup of tea and a calorie-free slice of cake, enjoyed outside the cafe with views of the mountains.  The sun did peek out - warm enough to be out without coats or fleeces - but not enough to drive off the high cloud.  Truly a great place.  As before, photos to follow.
We're off to Wanaka tomorrow, quite a long drive with the promise of some more awesomeness, particularly the Haast Pass.  We hope your rain also clears up.