See

Gillespies Beach

An 11-km drive down a twisting unsealed road through a rimu rainforest leads to a camping area. From here, walk a bit more and you'll find yourself on a black sand/quartz pebble beach on the Tasman Sea. Near the beach entrance is the rusted and overgrown historic gold dredge, remnants of an old mining settlement. Several kilometres up the beach you can visit a seal colony on Galway Beach, which is a three-hour round-trip walk. Be warned, the number of sandflies here is ridiculously high at the beach, so don't forget to bring insect repellent!

Getting there: Cook Flat Rd, then Gillespies Beach Rd

Directions Suggest a nearby place

Listing from Wikivoyage: Fox Glacier, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

Close by

See
Peak View Lookout
Drive down Cook Flat Rd for 10 km west of the township past the Lake Matheson turnoff until it becomes an unsealed road for the best view of the peaks of Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman. There's a picnic area and a plane table which can be used to identify the different peaks of the Southern Alps.
See
Lake Matheson
Take the 4.4-km walk around the lake to see the beautiful reflection of Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman on its dark waters. The lake was formed during the last Ice Age retreat by Fox Glacier 14,000 years ago. The track is well maintained, and there are boardwalks and specially-made platforms for getting the right angle for your pictures. The best light is at dawn, and it's about 20 minutes to the first lookout (and 20 minutes back if you don't want to walk the whole way) and 40 minutes to a floating pontoon.
Eat
Lake Matheson Cafe
Coffee, and during the busy season, breakfast; dinner is on blackboard menus and change to suit seasonal ingredients. Deli style sandwiches, cakes, pies, cookies and salads with all products made on site. Great views of Mt Cook and Mt Tasman.
Nov–Mar: daily 7:30AM-late; Apr–Oct 8AM-4PM
Buy
ReflectioNZ Gifts and Gallery
Contemporary merchandise with a New Zealand flavour: jewellery, designer merino garments, greenstone & souvenirs, New Zealand artwork & photos. Overseas shipping available. Friendly, efficient service.
Daily from 8:30AM