Friday, March 7
Wanaka to Haast. This was going to be a 2-day leg. But, the weather was fantastic and (more importantly) we had a hearty tail wind working in our favor. The road from Wanaka climbed gently all the way up to Haast Pass. Early on, the road wound between Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka, offering up diverting vistas of these huge lakes. The descent, though, was much more dramatic on the west side of the pass, with the landscape quickly changing from alpine meadows and forest to denser, tropical foliage -- ferns, palm-type plants, heavy leafy undergrowth, wiry and twisted trees, trunks covered in lush, green growth. We began to get our first real views of the snow-capped peaks making up the western range. The scale and sheer rise of the mountains was almost incomprehensable in places as we descended to the coast -- the road winding deep alongside the rising earth with the peaks towering almost impossibly right above you. Our long day ended in Haast where we quickly pitched our tent and crashed for the night, diving into the tent to avoid the bloodsucking sand flies. We had read about them...and, yes, it is all true. They are very persistent and pesky little creatures. Luckily, I seem to have some kind of natural repelling ability, but they love Mike. Trivia: Chatted with a local (Auckland) in Haast and he said (true or false, anyone?)...there are only three places on earth with consistent geo-thermal activity -- Yellowstone (in the US), Iceland, and Rotorua (New Zealand). We should be passing through Rotorua in a couple of weeks.
