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 Reflection Island
Why stop
- A named platform for Lake Matheson’s classic mountain reflections.
Heads up
- Steps rule out this platform on the wheelchair-accessible walk to Jetty Lookout.
Map
Where it is
Loading the Westland Tai Poutini map
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 Reflection Island, 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 Reflection Island in the Parkwolf Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- How Waves Sort Black Sand
- Why Crevasses Open
- Te Kopikopiko o te Waka: Canoe and Mountains
- Kahikatea and the Butter Box
- 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 Reflection Island
A platform above the lakeReflection Island is a named viewing platform on Lake Matheson, reached by steps down from the…
Reflection Island is a named viewing platform on Lake Matheson, reached by steps down from the 4.4 km lakeside circuit. The lake is known for reflecting Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman/Te Horokōau. This is the stop to keep going for if that mirror view is why you came; it’s a separate platform from Jetty Lookout and View of Views Lookout.
The walk that reaches itAllow about 1.5 hours for the 4.4 km loop.
Allow about 1.5 hours for the 4.4 km loop. Reflection Island is five minutes beyond Jetty Lookout, and the track continues from here through the wetland at the eastern end of the lake. Steps descend to the platform, so this stop is not wheelchair accessible. The wheelchair-accessible 2.4 km return walk ends at Jetty Lookout and does not reach Reflection Island.
Find the mirrorThe lake is stillest at dawn and dusk, and the best reflections come on a sunny, windless day.
The lake is stillest at dawn and dusk, and the best reflections come on a sunny, windless day. Wind roughens the surface and cloud can hide the peaks, so treat the famous double mountain view as a lucky condition, not a guarantee. From the platform, include a little of the railing at the bottom of your photo to show where the reflection is seen.
Why the water reflectsOrganic matter from the forest floor darkens Lake Matheson’s water.
Organic matter from the forest floor darkens Lake Matheson’s water. With the surface calm, that dark water gives the surrounding forest and Southern Alps a striking mirror.
A glacier left the basinLake Matheson formed about 14,000 years ago, when Fox Glacier retreated from its last major…
Lake Matheson formed about 14,000 years ago, when Fox Glacier retreated from its last major advance. The glacier spread over the coastal plain and left heaps of rock; the basin later filled with water.
Te Ara KairaumatiLake Matheson is also Te Ara Kairaumati and a customary mahinga kai, or food-gathering place,…
Lake Matheson is also Te Ara Kairaumati and a customary mahinga kai, or food-gathering place, for Ngāi Tahu. Long-finned eels, or tuna, are abundant in its dark water and are taonga, a treasured species for Māori.
The forest around the shoreThe wider circuit passes through native rainforest with ferns and tall kahikatea, rimu and…
The wider circuit passes through native rainforest with ferns and tall kahikatea, rimu and tōtara. Canada geese and mallards are common on the lake; along the track you may also see or hear pūkeko, tūī and kererū.
Plan the stopThe car park has free car and campervan parking, three marked mobility spaces, toilets and an…
The car park has free car and campervan parking, three marked mobility spaces, toilets and an accessible toilet. There’s no drinking water; food and fuel are available in Fox Glacier/Weheka. Sandflies can be fierce, and the popular walk gets busy in summer, from November through April.
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.
