The Mirror of the Mountains

A gem of New Zealand’s West Coast, Lake Matheson sits at the foot of the snow-capped Southern Alps, giving glorious reflections on a calm day of Mt Cook and Mt Tasman. Created by the retreat of nearby Fox Glacier around 14,000 years ago, this glacial lake sits incredibly only around 5km from the ocean. Maori used the lake as a plentiful source of food, within its dark but bustling waters live Eels and many other freshwater fish.

Attracting photographers from all over the world, situated in the North of the Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage area of the West Coast, the lake’s view is one of the staple images of New Zealand landscape photographers portfolio. Whether coming on a misty morning or with a crispy clear day – the budding photographer is guaranteed to find a stunning shot with the mirror like water and through the walkway on the track to the viewpoint.

Furthermore, being surrounded by pristine farmland, this location presents ample opportunities for capturing unforgettable images on the West Coast.

Join us on the West Coast

Join us to behold the sublime reflections presented by Lake Matheson on our West Coast Wilderness Photo Tour this September, for which only one spot remains. The West Coast presents incredible varieties of landscape for a single stretch of coastline with alpine and glacial regions falling into rolling farmland, jurassic rainforest and the roaring sea as you can see in the gallery below. Click here for more information.