Quiet Coast

Tis so lovely!! And Quiet!! Soooo peaceful.

We strolled around Lake Matheson near the Fox Glacier. It was our first real rainforest walk and we were hooked. It’s like being in an adult-sized fairy land. It’s amazing seeing the world through the eyes of a wise-beyond-their-years fifteen year old and spunky-as-can-be ten year old. They are so different. Yet they find so much joy in common things. I loved seeing and feeling their glee as we explored rainforests in New Zealand. Almost ten months gone, almost home, and still we experience ‘firsts’ and encounter new-new stuff. This last journey is somehow a reminder of how far we’ve come as a family both literally and metaphorically.

In both Australia and New Zealand we’ve seen rainbows that touch down to the ground. Stunning. I’m not sure I’ve seen that before? I definitely have little to no recollection of seeing an entire rainbow, touching down on both ends!! These shots below are all from the start of the Copland Track. Everybody got after it on their own terms. Hazel and I were adventure explorers. Will hiked. Justin ran. Such beautiful trails in NZ. I’m equally amazed at the vast swaths of land that are trail-less. I spend a lot of time gazing at trail apps, maps and Strava heatmaps to inform adventures. This gazing reveals the extent of this untamed wilderness.

Mesmerizing.

When I was here thirty years ago you could ride a bus up to the glacier and go for a guided hike. Now it’s all done by helicopter. Apparently they zip around like mad in the summer. We opted for the views from roads and hikes. A view of the Fox Glacier across some farmland.

A sweet gloworm nook below :) it is a head spinner to have glaciers so close to the ocean and flanked by rainforests with gloworms.