Lake Matheson is a small glacial lake in South Westland on New Zealand’s South Island. This quiet location surrounded by bush is often abuzz with walkers who flock to witness the mirror-like reflections of nearby Aoraki Mount Cook and Mount Tasman on the lake’s surface.

The lake was formed during the last ice age around 14,000 years ago when the Fox Glacier covered much of the coastal plain and reached all the way to the Tasman Sea. The glacier deposited large rock piles as it moved over the landscape, which over time, formed a large depression. The depression eventually filled with water, creating Lake Matheson. The picturesque lake is located 5 km from Fox Glacier township, a popular tourist destination where visitors come to see the glacier, which has now retreated a long way back from the coast, and enjoy the ancient forest of Westland Tai Poutini National Park.