1 active Westland Tai Poutini alert
- CautionActive landslide zones on Copland TrackDo not stop in either of Copland Track’s signposted active landslide zones; take extra care during and after heavy rain.Official details
Overview
About Matheson Café
Why stop
- Deck views toward Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman
- Easy to pair with the lake walk
Heads up
- Some visitors find portions expensive
Map
Where it is
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Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide
Your drive to Matheson Café, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Westland Tai Poutini National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Westland Tai Poutini audio tourRecorded for this place
Lake Matheson: the Short Walk and the Mirror0:00 / 0:33
“You're coming up on Lake Matheson, known for reflecting Aoraki, Mount Cook, and Mount Tasman in its dark water. For a shorter visit, choose Jetty Lookout: about forty-five minutes return through rainforest.”
Plays as you drive up to Matheson Café in the Parkwolf Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Why Crevasses Open
- How Waves Sort Black Sand
- Mount Fox Route: a Full Mountain Day
- Minnehaha Walk: Rainforest and Glowworms
- 49 audio storiesacross Westland Tai Poutini’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, Blue Duck, Kererū, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 31 trails, 53 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Matheson Café
A good stop at the lakeMatheson Café is a café with indoor seating and an outdoor deck at the entrance to the Lake…
Matheson Café is a café with indoor seating and an outdoor deck at the entrance to the Lake Matheson Walkway, a few minutes’ drive from Fox Glacier. It works well for breakfast before the walk or lunch after, with views toward Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman. The famous mirror reflection is on the lake track, so allow time to walk out to the viewpoints.
What to orderCoffee and bagels get regular praise.
Coffee and bagels get regular praise. Breakfast and lunch menus change with seasonal ingredients; options include smoked-salmon bagels at breakfast, brisket bagels at lunch and seafood chowder, plus cabinet sandwiches, cakes, savouries and salads.
The lake’s early excursionsLake Matheson visits began in the 1950s as early-morning trips for guests of Fox Hotel.
Lake Matheson visits began in the 1950s as early-morning trips for guests of Fox Hotel. The first outings used a rowboat to reach Reflection Island, then waited for the boat’s ripples to settle before the famous reflection appeared. Today, the short return walk to Jetty View Point takes about 30 minutes; the full circuit takes about 1 to 1½ hours.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Westland Tai Poutini
89 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
10 sightingsBlue DuckMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
80 sightingsKererūMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
38 sightingsTūīMost seen around 5 AMSighting map
10 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
28 sightingsYellow-crowned ParakeetMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Westland Tai Poutini. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
