Swing bridge

The campsite attendant gave us the tip yesterday to go to the swing bridge in Kokatahi. So we're doing that! It's a short walk through the forest, along the radiant blue river. The highlight is crossing the swing bridge, which swings with every step. We linger on the rocks below the bridge and dip our little toe into the icy cold water. Just for a moment. It's hard for me to leave this place, but like so many others, we have to keep going. Because the most beautiful thing in New Zealand is the drive through the indescribably diverse nature. There are hardly any residents, so the land is densely covered and also characterized by ancient, majestic trees. Here you can easily imagine that the trees, like in Lord of the Rings, are alive.
The sky is slowly becoming cloudy, perfect for our next stop. The hot springs in Harihari. But finding them is more difficult than expected. We drive along a gravel road without any signs of a tourist attraction. No parking lot, no sign. After going back and forth several times, we finally find the way down to the river. The water is ice, ICE! cold and yet there are a couple sitting in the river a few meters away. Holes have been dug everywhere and pools have been built. The further down you dig, the hotter it gets. (Water seeps through the ground, is heated by the strong geothermal energy there, and rises back up) And the water really boils hot, even if you only dig 50 cm into the ground. Back to the van for a moment, put on our bathing suits, apply sandfly spray, and into the water! It's lightly raining now, but that doesn't bother us. It could be heavenly, if it weren't for those absolutely annoying sandflies! They bite just like mosquitoes and it itches like crazy!
We only stop in Franz Josef to refuel and drive past Fox Glacier without stopping. There is snow and glaciers in Switzerland too (besides, we don't have any equipment with us and tours are very expensive!)
After this long drive, we spend the night in Haast.