New Zealand, 9-1-2017--Franz Joseph to Cameron Flat

Pearl's favorite plants in New Zealand were the fern trees--yes, literally ferns that look a bit like palm trees, with a trunk and fan-like canopy.  Here she stands with some of these beside our camp near Lake Mapourika.

Our companions from the evening before recommended that we stop to see the Franz Joseph Glacier, so we detoured up the valley and took a short hike to a viewpoint.  Like other trails we'd seen, this one was also immaculately maintained.

Looking up the valley toward the lower end of Franz Joseph Glacier.  Overhead we could see helicopters taking tourists up to the glacier.  

 Another stop recommended by our companions of yesterday was Lake Matheson, both for the views of the Southern Alps and the bird life.  They had also informed us that this part of the South Island is frequently cloudy and rainy, so we were fortunate to have splendid views of Mt. Cook, New Zealand's highest peak at 12,218'.

Lovely tree fern lined trail around Lake Matheson

Lake Matheson, known for its mirror-like reflections of Mt. Cook (right of center) and Mt. Tasman (near center).

Luxuriant fern growth beside the Lake Matheson trail.

This sign beside Lake Matheson describes the New Zealand longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii), which are abundant in the lake.  Nearly everything about this eel is remarkable.  New Zealand's largest eel, it can grow to over 5 feet long and weigh more than 50 lbs.  Some individuals have lived over 100 years. 

Even more remarkable is its migration route.  Near the end of their lives, they swim out to sea and then north to Tonga, nearly 2000 miles.  There they spawn and the larvae then drift on oceanic currents until some of them are eventually carried 2000 miles back to New Zealand. There they transform into small eels and head upriver.  During this juvenile phase they are excellent climbers and have been known to climb 140 feet up a near vertical surface.

New Zealand flax at the upper end of Lake Matheson.  This plant (no relation to northern hemisphere flax) is abundant in swamps and roadside ditches throughout New Zealand. It was once processed by the Maori and later by Europeans for clothing.  

A section of trail beside Lake Matheson.  The resources NZ puts into building and maintaining trails is astounding.  

David and Pearl beside Lake Matheson.  Mt. Cook in the background.

Continuing south along the west coast the highway again meets the Tasman Sea at Bruce Bay.  A New Zealand traveler we spoke with who had been here many times had never seen the Tasman Sea so calm. 

These white stones gathered from the beach at Bruce Bay all had messages and signatures written on them by people from around the world.  

Looking south along the coast of the Tasman Sea.  A group of seals lie on the beach near the point.  This is also a nesting area for fiordland crested penguins.  Although we didn't see penguins here, we were thrilled to encounter them a few days later on the south coast.