Haast Pass and Wanaka

We had an unbelievably beautiful ride from Haast to Wanaka on the 31st. We passed huge snow-capped mountains, grey/green rivers, green meadows...just wonderful. We stopped on the way at various waterfalls, look outs and scenic reserves. Here are some of what we saw:

Roaring Billy River

View from the road

Gates of Haast

Thunder Falls


Lake Hawea

We spent New Year's Eve drinking a bottle of bubbly, watching the year in review on NZ tv and just staying in. We loved it.

On Jan. 1, we had a SPECTACULAR day. I know I've said this before, but this time, I really, really mean it. We drove about an hour from Wanaka to the Rob Roy Valley Trek. We walked over fields that were incredibly windy, including a daunting walk over a swing bridge and then walked another hour and a half through forests, along a rushing green/gray river to the Rob Roy Glacier. We sat there on rocks looking at the most incredible sight I think I have ever seen. It was something out of National Geographic. There we were, gazing up at a glacier over our heads across a valley. There must have been about 15 waterfalls underneath the glacier, some of which were spouting upwards because of the strong winds. The glacier was white/blue and looked so pristine. Awe-inspiring, for sure.

Very windy swingbridge in Rob Roy Valley

River Rocks

View of Rob Roy Valley


Blue ice of Rob Roby Glacier

Strong wind causing a waterfall to rise instead of fall

How many waterfalls can you count?

Part of the way to our hike was over a hour drive on a gravel road with 9 places where we had to ford through water. We only have a Nissan rental car, not a 4-wheel drive which probably would have been helpful. Oh well. That's what insurance is for.