Day 33 - Heading to the West Coast through the Southern Alps

16.01.2015

At 7:00 am, the door slamming resumes and there's no chance for me to sleep in. I grab one of my remaining English Muffins, which I inspect daily to check for any signs of mold, and I monopolize one of the two toasters in the large communal kitchen. Nobody minds though, as most people are busy cooking or frying eggs, bacon, boiling rice, or making cereal. It rained overnight, and my car looks almost brown from the dirt that washed down. However, there's now a strong but gentle wind blowing, and it's not as cold as I thought. Thanks to the wind, the clouds are not as stuck in the mountains. I take a walk around the town, then get my car, buy water and ingredients for a salad tonight at New World, and then hit the road.

Actually, I wanted to go to Haast on the West Coast, but since I have plenty of time now, I'll first drive along the southern lakeshore of Lake Wanaka.

Initially, this route leads to a ski resort about 20 km away, and it's deserted here. The views of the turquoise lake, the mountains, the islands in the lake, and the slopes next to the road are incredibly magnificent.

Lake Wanaka

After 20 km, the paved road ends, and I turn around. In Wanaka, I fill up with gas, and today it's quite expensive at $1.89. But that's probably because of Wanaka, as the fuel price is decreasing daily at the moment.

Now, I continue driving along Highway 6 towards the West Coast. Initially, the road leads through the countryside and past Lake Wanaka.

Hawea is a small town at the southern end of Lake Hawea, which is practically adjacent to Lake Wanaka and separated only by a hill.

In Hawea, I take a break in the sun, although there's a relentless wind blowing here that you have to hold onto everything. It's almost impossible to keep the camera steady. The Lake Hawea has foam caps, and if you want to get out of the car, you either can barely open the door or it gets ripped out of your hand. Anyway, the wind raises a lot of dust, and I soon feel coated in it. There's a café in the General Store that offers homemade meals, and I decide to have a Veggie Tart, a kind of quiche that is heated up and incredibly delicious with pumpkin, kumara, grilled peppers, and other things. And a flat white - the best I've had here in NZ so far.

Feeling refreshed, I automatically drive along Lake Hawea, which also offers incredible views as the highway winds along the left bank. Eventually, the road goes uphill, crossing over a hilltop, and after 30 seconds of descent on the other side, Lake Wanaka - the northern part - appears again. The isthmus between these two lakes is about 1,400 m high.

Now, I can see the Southern Alps more clearly in the northwest, which I still have to cross. The Haast Pass is not high, and the route goes through a narrow valley rather than over the mountain peaks. But what doesn't look nice here are the dark and numerous clouds hanging on the western slopes of the mountains. It's 27 degrees here with sunshine - albeit with this strong wind, but at least there's sunshine.

Just before Lake Wanaka turns into a river, I sit in the sun and read for 2.5 hours. Now, imagine this: I've parked at an official rest area, which basically means it's just a gravel parking bay with no benches, picnic tables, trash bins, or toilets. It's just a parking lot next to the highway. So here I am, sitting in the driver's seat with the door open and my feet hanging out, not really comfortable but at least sunny.

At 5:00 pm, I continue driving, and after 10 minutes, the first raindrops fall, and after 20 minutes, it's 10 degrees cooler. I drive through a wide plain, and the views of the low-hanging clouds, sometimes with sunbeams or rain showers falling on the slopes, are stunning.

The road to the Haast Pass is accompanied by several landslides, and I remember one from last year. At that time, I was the last one to pass through before the road was closed behind me. That was really annoying because the nearest place to stay is practically Wanaka, about 80 or 90 km away. But today, you can drive here without any obstacles, although the entire slope is secured by large nets, which still doesn't look very stable.

The Haast Pass separates the districts of Otago and Westland. Originally an ancient Maori trade route, it is now the only way to get to the southern end of the West Coast (excluding the fjords in Fiordland, but that's another story). I'm now surrounded by dense rainforest. The West Coast is the wet end of New Zealand, with plenty of rain forming on the high mountains. That's why the nature here is completely different from the last 12 days when I was traveling on the east side. There, the mountains are more brown, bare, or covered in tussock grass - or with trees that belong to the New Zealand rainforest.

Here, on the west side, fern giants and moss-covered trees stand closely together, with water dripping from the leaves, and there are plenty of larger and smaller waterfalls. I hike to one that is 28 meters high. However, I quickly hitch up my trousers and put on my sturdy shoes. By the time I finish, I've got about 15 sand flies in the car and around 5 bites on my feet, although I hastily smeared some Off on them. The road to Haast runs along the huge wide riverbed of the Haast River and one of its offshoots. Massive rocks lie in the several hundred meters wide riverbed, and only when the snow melts in the mountains during spring does it become a raging river here. I see some Pukekos walking across the road beside and in front of me. With their blue plumage and red beak, they stand out in the green surroundings. Their endless legs and long claws are just hilarious.

Pukekos

Finally, I reach Haast. I haven't been driving fast, but I'm also not in a hurry anymore. The weather above the sea is clearing up a bit, and blue sky can be seen. But first, I'm hungry, so I make my salad and then continue writing my diary, sorting through my photos, and it's already quarter to ten. There's no internet here, not even a phone signal. So it's time to go to bed with a crime novel. Outside, there's rustling in the bushes and birds screeching - it's something about this wilderness!

Daily distance: 191 km