Haast River Valley

The storm really hit as we headed south nearing the town of Haast. The roads were very windy, and visibility was cut to practically nothing. We decided to stop at Haast and hunker down at a holiday park to wait out the storm. We plugged in, cranked the heater, and snuggled into bed and watched movies for the rest of the afternoon. The rain really came down all evening, so we were glad we stopped before entering the steep, beautiful Haast River Valley.

The next morning we awoke to patchy clouds and light rain. Waterfalls pounded down every canyon wall. It was stunning. A little ways inland, the clouds began to break, and patches of sun broke through.

Thunder Creek Falls


We found a great mushroom on the side of the trail - never saw a purple one before!

We stopped and took a trail out to Fantail Falls. The trail was lined with gorgeous ferns of all sizes.

Fantail Falls

I can't imagine the amount of water it takes to fill this whole riverbed!







We came upon this beautiful old bridge encrusted in moss and lichen.

The view from the bridge

Further up the valley it began to clear, revealing snow-capped peaks.

The Makarora area and more sheep!

The north tip of Lake Wanaka

Lake Wanaka

Lake Wanaka

The road cuts over to Lake Hawea about half way up Lake Wanaka. The further inland we drove, the clearer and warmer it became.

Lake Hawea

Rainbow over Lake Howea

This was the start of a series of bright colorful rainbows that we encountered. We drove along Lake Howea and then back over to the town of Wanaka, on the south tip of Lake Wanaka.

Lake Wanaka.

We camped for the night at a Holiday Park overlooking the lake. The park had nice indoor hot tubs where we soaked before going out for Indian food. Lake Wanaka is known for having lots of outdoor activities, especially skiing. It is a beautiful little town. We had a wonderful, decadent breakfast and headed off towards Queensland to our ultimate destination; Fjordland.