Lake Matheson

We found our room and quickly checked the internet. Since the number of COVID cases in New Zealand now exceeded 100, it seemed likely that Prime Minister Jacinda Adern would soon be announcing new restrictions.

Back in the United States, the State Department had issued a Level 4 Travel Alert which means, in short, don't travel. Well, too late for that. When we made our decision in Queenstown, we agreed to have no regrets or second thoughts. Our biggest concern - one that never seemed to be addressed in the news - was whether or not the US borders would be closed at some point.

Before heading out to find some dinner, we attempted to enjoy the view of the mountains and sunset which our room claimed to have. This is about as good as that view got during our stay.

As expected, there was not much to the town of Fox Glacier. It consisted of two roads that met at a 90 degree angle. Basic single story motels like the one we were staying in stretched out along one road for several miles. The other road boasted a gas station, diminutive grocery, and some small restaurants, but it only extended one block before the forest took over. The most promising place to find a drink and an edible meal was the hotel with a bar and restaurant at the intersection.

It was a bit surprising to find several people from India working at this bar/restaurant in rural New Zealand. They even served a curry of the day which I ordered. Unfortunately, in perhaps a nod to local taste preferences, it was almost totally devoid of the spices you would expect to find in a curry We chatted with one of the waiters, observed the locals in the bar area, and speculated on what it would be like to be stuck here for a couple of months.

The rain fell throughout the night, and it was still drizzling when we woke up in the morning. We arrived at the place we had eaten the night before in search of breakfast just as our waiter from the previous evening was locking the doors. They were supposed to serve breakfast for another half hour but had decided to close because there had been no customers at all that morning. Apparently the tour group staying at the hotel had departed early without eating. We were welcomed inside, but sitting alone in the large empty room with a fully stocked buffet being served by three attentive waiters was definitely bizarre.

We had planned to take a short hike to a viewing point for Fox Glacier, but when we drove to the access road, we discovered it was closed. We would have to walk several miles to the lookout, and since it was cold and windy and more rain was threatening, a hike down a road under construction was not appealing.

Later that afternoon, during a break in the downpour, we took a short hike around Lake Matheson, known for its lovely views of the mountains reflected in the clear, quiet waters. Unfortunately, there was none of that on this day.

We did, however, enjoy the peaceful walk over the stream and partway around the lake.

Unfortunately, these were the last pictures we took in New Zealand because pandemic pandemonium was about to escalate.

That evening at the hotel/bar/restaurant the same waiter went around to every table taking down contact information as he was now required to do by law. This has become more or less standard procedure as the pandemic has progressed, but at the time it felt intrusive. He told us that a couple of Taiwanese tourists had arrived in town and during a helicopter tour the pilot had determined that they had JUST arrived in the country and had not quarantined for the 14 days that was now required for new arrivals.

Back at the motel, we learned that Jacinda Ardern had announced a 4 level alert system with Level 1 being what we had experienced so far (wash your hands frequently and stay 6 feet away from others) and Level 4 being total lockdown. She said that the country would move immediately to Level 2 and would advance to Level 4 in just 4 days - the day after our scheduled flight home. People over 70 and those with compromised immune systems were asked to stay at home. Ardern acknowledged that such rapid changes would present hardships, but said that the alternative - the spread of the disease and the deaths that would result - was unthinkable. She always closed her speeches by saying, "Be kind to one another." Her message was always clear and concise unlike the buffoon in Washington who often went stomping out of press conferences in a huff after contradicting his own medical experts.

It was Saturday night. We had planned to visit Franz Josef Glacier on Sunday, take a leasurely drive back to Christchurch on Monday, and fly back to Auckland on Tuesday, but now it seemed our only option was to get to Auckland as quickly as possible. Although travel between regions is permissible at Alert Level 2, it is heavily restricted at Alert Level 3. If the country moved to Alert Level 3 before we flew to Auckland, we would most likely be stuck on the South Island for a long time and we would miss our flight home. The lovely lodge we had booked for Sunday night sent an email saying that everyone else with a reservation had cancelled. Were we still planning on coming? We sadly submitted our own cancellation. Our new plan was to spend Sunday driving to Christchurch and to try to change the reservations for our flight to Auckland from Tuesday to Monday.

We spent a restless night listening to the torrential rain pounding down on the motel roof. We were beginning to feel somewhat like outlaws. Suddenly, it didn't seem inconceivable that road blocks might be set up to force people to stay in place. Would we be carded and scolded for being outside at our ages? Would landslides block the already-challenging roads? Would the one lane bridges we still had to cross be washed away by the fast-moving streams? I tried to imagine being stuck in the tiny motel room for an indeterminite amount of time living on canned food warmed in the tiny microwave with no way to pass the time except the internet, New Zealand television, and walks down the empty road lined with similar motels. Would the motel even still be open or would we be forced to leave it? Also, remember, winter was coming.