Wed 27 Jan - The Haast Pass to Wanuka

We continued our journey down the west coast of the South Island accompanied by the mountains of the Southern Alps on our left and the coast at irregular intervals on our right. One such meeting with the coast occurred at Bruce Bay where we stopped to take photos of beach sculpture that people had left at the top of the beach. The sculpture was made from stones and wood piled up to make interesting shapes and covered the length of what must have been nearly a mile. Quite incredible! At Haast Junction – two houses, a café/bar and a DOC Visitor Centre – we turned inland and up over the Haas Pass, the road through which had only been completed in the ‘60s. The views up the pass and out on to Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea were truly astounding and again there were many stops for photo ops.
We stayed the night at the town of Wanaka, on the edge of the lake and surrounded by snow-capped peaks. If it hadn’t have been for the rather grotty accommodation here it would have been ideal!