Fox Glacier Viewpoint / Te Kopikopiko O Te Waka — Attraction in South Island

Superb spot, a short couple minutes on a very bumpy gravel road was worth it. Great view of fox glacier and surrounding mountains, easily rivals the views from matheson lake in my opinion. Often the clouds clear up near the peaks in the evenings around sunset, and this is a stunning sunset spot with views towards the glacier and mountains as well as over the fields in the opposite direction.

A small forest walk is there as well with a loop, worth taking the 5-10 min walk especially if the main viewing spot around the canoe is full of people.

The canoe art work representing Māori legend is elegant, decorative and enjoyable as it points right towards the glacier.

At my visit in the evening, about 8-15 Kea (mostly juvenile) came out. Calling and chasing each other, climbing all over cars and pecking at antenna and edges of windows. Highly curious of the people visiting, Kea would perch on nearly anything around eye level and approach you. They clearly enjoy a good game of hide and seek around the canoe, intelligent birds they are and very amusing if you aren't too attached to...

Summary 4/5: Worth the short 5-6 minutes detour IF you happen to visit Lake Matheson on a clear day.

Came here twice, 1st time on a moody evening, the view was totally blocked. 2nd time was a cloudy morning, only getting a small glimpse of Fox Glacier. This place is not well known to most, so, we had the whole place to ourselves both times we were here.

The canoe statue facing Fox Glacier is representing the Aoraki's Canoe or "Te Waka o Aoraki" in Maori language. This is also the old name of South Island. The statue is telling the Ngāi Tahu mythology about the creation of the Southern Alps and the South Island.

It was only a short drive from Lake Matheson, paved road most part, only the last 50 meters is gravel road. There are few picnic tables but no...

BE AWARE: as of March 2022, the cool device on a pedestal that helps you figure out what you’re looking at is gone, unfortunately. The pedestal is still there, but there’s nothing on it.

Really pretty lookout, especially if you have a telephoto lens! The glacier is pretty far away, so it won’t look super dramatic in pictures if you’re just using a phone camera or basic point-and-shoot. Still, it’s a good place to get a view of the whole thing without mountains in the way.

Be aware that some of the road to get here is dirt/gravel rather than paved. It’s a relatively short stretch and shouldn’t be a big deal unless you have a pristine car that you want to...