Driving to Haast

 

Viewpoint on Lake Wanaka

The next morning we drove north towards Haast on the west coast of the island.  We drove along two large lakes, Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka and then up over the Haast Pass.  This was reputed blue duck and and rock wren territory so we stopped at every river pullout to check but no luck.

No blue ducks at the Blue River

We hiked into the Blue Pools on the Blue River through really beautiful red beach forest

So did every other tourist driving over the Haast Pass.

Really big tree ferns.

 

Saw this bush with unusual blue berries:

We crossed the suspension bridge

and arrived at the ponds.

The pools were really really blue.  There were lots of people swimming in the pools despite the picture above.  On the way back a woman spotted a rifleman

Actually a riflewoman (female)

And we got some great closeup views.

Further down the road was a trail to Thunder Creek Falls.

And later we stopped at the Haast River to check out Roaring Billy Falls.

We were so unimpressed we didn't take a picture, but the Haast River was quite beautiful.

A tour boat on the Haast River near Rocking Billy Falls

Shortly thereafter we arrived at Haast and checked into the Haast Lodge, a combination rv park, motel and hostel.  We did our laundry and hung out in the kitchen/lounge that was housed in a huge barn like structure.

Later we walked through town (very small) and 

Fun times in Haast

partway down the Kokako track through another beautiful beech forest.

On the Kokako Track

We came along a mixed flock of sivereyes, gray gerigones, fantails and at least one rifleman.

Silvereye

Travel Day to the Otago Region

We took off the next day, retracing our steps to drive on to our next destination.  A few kilometers down the road we stopped at Mirror Lakes.

The lakes are more like small ponds cut off from the main channel of Eglington River.

There were New Zealand scaup in the ponds.

The elevated walkways leading to the ponds passed through beech forest

with the usual forest birds, including this tui showing off his fancy feathered neckpiece.

Bird of the Day!

We saw a Kea, again not harassing anyone in the parking lot, but flying overhead.

We also saw this orchid growing on a branch. It looked like the same orchid our kiwi  hunting guide on Stewart Island plucked to let us smell.

It was a very popular short stop for tour busses on their way to Milford Sound.

I always like a bit of well-designed tourist infrastructure:

Fern shaped benches

We continued on our way, stopping to take a picture of Red Tussock Conservation Area.  This is what the drier parts of New Zealand looked like before it was all coverted to sheep and cattle farms.

Red Tussock Conservation Area

We passed a few red deer (close relative of elk) farms so when we stopped for lunch at the Bracken Hall cafe

I had to have a venison pie.  These were the best pies we ate in New Zealand with more meat than gravy, and they were indeed made from locally grown ingredients.

Leo's Thai chicken pie was also excellent.

I have to say it wasn't until the afternoon that we found a public garbage can to get rid of our trash from two day's of camping. New Zealand Conservation campgrounds do not provide garbage cans and even the gas station we stopped at had a narrow opening to prevent you from depositing anything bigger than a pop can.

We drove on toward Queenstown, stopping along Wakatipu 

several times to enjoy the views and

take the requisite selfie.

We didn't stop in Queenstown.  The main roundabout into town was under construction and was a major traffic jam not improved by the gas station we stopped at having its entrance directly onto the roundabout.  

The Otago region east of Queenstown is the driest part of the South Island and it reminded us of the Kamloops area or the Okanagan with dry scrubby slopes and many vineyards.  

We drove by the original bungy jumping bridge; its in a spectacular location in the Kawarau gorge.  It's also a location spot for the Lord of the Rings. 

We stopped at Lowburn Waterpark on Lake Dunstan near Cromwell.  

Okanagan South

 This photo makes it look like we had it all to ourselves; in fact it was packed with locals for the weekend.  It was free but a municipal employee came by and checked every vehicle to make sure they were certified as self contained (fixed toilet).

It was a hot afternoon, we were grateful for our tree shade. Leo went for a run and then a swim.  Leo also chatted with a visiting Californian who had actually run into a nuisance Kea that was going after his windshield wipers.  

Fun fact:  New Zealand actor Sam Neill owns a vineyard nearby and he was just recently in the news protesting a proposed goldmine in the region.

Milford Sound

Road to Milford Sound.

Cascade Creek campsite is so busy because it's the closest campsite to Milford Sound except for a very pricy commercial campsite right at the sound.  

We got up early so we could drive the very windy road before the tour busses from Te Anau and Queenstown showed up.

There's a kilometer-long one-way tunnel you have to go through and we didn't want to get stuck there and miss our cruise.

As ot was we got there in plenty of time.  We parked in the free lot and took the twenty-minute trail to the wharf.

We got some great views in the morning light.

Lots of birds along the path.

Money shot:

That's the iconic Mitre Mountain in the centre of the photo.

Money selfie:

Our cruise was on The Spirit of Milford, a catamaran.

Spirit of Milford

There were about 10 different cruise boats at the wharf.

A lone egret was posed on a post near the wharf.

Bird of the Day!

We sailed into the sound.

It's very scenic with the mountains shooting straight out of the sound.  Ahem, fjord.  The captain gave us commentary as we cruised, including an explanation of why the Sound is really a fjord.  

We sailed by waterfalls

Fjords are deep narrow valleys formed by glaciers.  Sounds are wider and formed by river valleys flooded by the sea.

We sailed out to the ocean and then turned back.  Captain Cook sailed right by the concealed entrance to Milford Sound.  Europeans didn't discover the Sound until 1812.  There was no road access until 1948 when the Homer Tunnel was built.

Outlet of Milford Sound

A highlight of the trip was seeing a pod of bottlenose dolphins.  We also saw fur seals hunting fish.

We'd opted for a package that included a water taxi 

Our water taxi. The pilot just ran the boat up on the gravel beach.

over to the Milford Track, a four-day hike from the head of Lake Te Anau to the aptly named Sandfly Point.

We had to rush back along the foreshore trail to make it to the water taxi wharf on time.  The pilot was just about to leave when a German couple with the same package arrived just in time.  Another couple missed the taxi.

Leaving the wharf.

Our pilot informed us that it was a 3 hour return trip to a scenic falls and that the last taxi would leave in three hours. So it was a mad hike to the falls

Sandfly Point.  The hiker in the photo is wearing a mosquito net.

It was quite a beautiful hike with views through the tree ferns to Milford River below.

We stopped for lunch at a bridge.

Bridge shenanigans.

On we raced until we finally reached the suspension bridge with a view of the waterfall.  

I declined to cross the suspension bridge.

We met many hikers on the last day of their trek.  Most of them were in their 60s and 70s.  I was impressed. (But they don't have to carry tents as they have to stay in the three huts on the track.)

On the way back we stopped on our lunchtime bridge.  Leo spotted something down on the rocks.  It was his cellphone!

We made it back to Sandfly Point in plenty of time to experience the flies and catch the taxi.  We bonded with the German couple over the stress of having to meet the time schedule.  Our pilot was impressed that we oldies made it to the falls.

On the drive back we stopped at several viewpoints. They all had signs warning of aggressive keas.  However, we failed to see any Kea, aggressive or otherwise.

Lots of these rocks with red lichen in Homer Pass. 

We were looking for this guy:

But no luck!

By the time we got back to the campsite it was pretty full.

Familiar sight in New Zealand. Loads of rental vans.