Queenstown to Haast
On February 28th, as with many other mornings in the last couple weeks, I wiggled out of the back of my car, over the console, and into the driver's seat, ready to start the day -- you can't beat that time frame for getting on the road! My morning routine also involves some breakfast in the form of muesli... or if I'm feeling Kiwi, some Weet Bix! Boy, do those ever go soggy quickly, though. I mix up some powdered milk with water, add the cereal, stir it so it's all damp, and then CHOW as quickly as I can -- otherwise I end up with a rather unappealing mush resembling baby food. The muesli is more resilient, but despite its claims of consisting of "crunchy oat clusters, blended with crispy golden cornflakes, sliced almonds and a hint of vanilla", it's no Honey Bunches of Oats (my most favourite cereal in Canada, which I dare say I miss more than my family, friends, and horses).
I'm sure you'd be thrilled to continue reading my ramblings about various cereal products, but I've got to save SOME material for later, so let's move on to something with a source that simply cannot be depleted in this country... beautiful landscapes! On this morning, the land of the long white cloud was once again making an appearance for photos, this time on Lake Wakatipu.
(click for larger panorama)
I'm pretty jazzed about this photo...
(I think I might be getting the hang of this minimalism thing)
The Shotover River, place of my aforementioned jet boating and canyon swinging.
Today's goal was to pass through Wanaka enroute to Mount Aspiring National Park and a campsite near the west coast town of Haast. There are two roads from Queenstown to Wanaka, and while one looks a bit shorter on the map, the first five kilometers consist of hairpin turn after hairpin turn, taking a good fifteen minutes to get through. The views as the road climbs, however, only get better with each 180.
Upon reaching the top, the farmland below faded into my rear
view mirror and the road was swallowed by steep hills.
The road then emerged to follow several lakes, all moody-looking with the dreary weather.
As I entered the Haast Pass, rainforest emerged and the low-lying cloud knitted itself into the forested valleys.
Fantail Falls was a short walk off the road, and the the dozens of rock markers at its base were fascinating.
The bridge over the Haast River.
Thunder Creek Falls was my last stop before arriving at my campsite.
The campsite was one of comparative luxury, with a picnic shelter and... flush toilets! Oooh, ahh. A couple from Seattle was cooking some dinner on their one-burner stove in the shelter, and we had a good chat while staying out of the rain, which had started coming down in buckets. They were also planning on heading up the west coast the next day, and it was amusing when we ended up playing leap frog on the road the next day as we crossed paths several more times.
Up next... west coast rainforest!
I'm sure you'd be thrilled to continue reading my ramblings about various cereal products, but I've got to save SOME material for later, so let's move on to something with a source that simply cannot be depleted in this country... beautiful landscapes! On this morning, the land of the long white cloud was once again making an appearance for photos, this time on Lake Wakatipu.
(click for larger panorama)
I'm pretty jazzed about this photo...
(I think I might be getting the hang of this minimalism thing)
The Shotover River, place of my aforementioned jet boating and canyon swinging.
Today's goal was to pass through Wanaka enroute to Mount Aspiring National Park and a campsite near the west coast town of Haast. There are two roads from Queenstown to Wanaka, and while one looks a bit shorter on the map, the first five kilometers consist of hairpin turn after hairpin turn, taking a good fifteen minutes to get through. The views as the road climbs, however, only get better with each 180.
Upon reaching the top, the farmland below faded into my rear
view mirror and the road was swallowed by steep hills.
The road then emerged to follow several lakes, all moody-looking with the dreary weather.
As I entered the Haast Pass, rainforest emerged and the low-lying cloud knitted itself into the forested valleys.
Fantail Falls was a short walk off the road, and the the dozens of rock markers at its base were fascinating.
The bridge over the Haast River.
Thunder Creek Falls was my last stop before arriving at my campsite.
The campsite was one of comparative luxury, with a picnic shelter and... flush toilets! Oooh, ahh. A couple from Seattle was cooking some dinner on their one-burner stove in the shelter, and we had a good chat while staying out of the rain, which had started coming down in buckets. They were also planning on heading up the west coast the next day, and it was amusing when we ended up playing leap frog on the road the next day as we crossed paths several more times.
Up next... west coast rainforest!