Sunday 9^th. March.

Today and tomorrow will be covering a lot of distance by car as I head west to the sea, up the West Coast Route 6, and then to Arthur’s Pass.

Leaving Wanaka you are soon driving the 20km. alongside the western shore of Lake Hawea and then cross back to the eastern shore of Lake Wanaka for another 15 km. All very beautifully hemmed in by the usual mountain scenery. No photos as we’ve seen it all before, the sun was against me for the best views, and I don’t like stopping too often whilst driving: as it turned out I was behind schedule by afternoon and stopped short of my target.

Lake Hawea is about 30 km. long by 5km. wide

Lake Wanaka is about 40 km. long by 3 to 5 km. wide, but spreads out like tree roots at the southern end where the town of Wanaka sits on the shore of fine gravel
Lake Wakatipu where I was Tuesday and Wednesday on the shores of which sit Queenstown and Glenorchy is about 75 km. long with a big 20 km. zig zag in the middle, and varies between 3 to 6 km. wide.
Lake Te Anau where I was Sunday 2^nd. and Monday 3^rd. is about 75 km. long about 10 km. wide in  the middle tapering off to each end, but has a 20 km. branch which itself has a 10 km. branch, and another 10 km. branch as well.
Then close by is Lake Manapouri 10km. long  by 10 km.to 5 km. wide with 4 branches, and all this close to the Fiords 20km. to 40 km. in length.

This is big beautiful country.

Finally hit the coast at Haast and continue north east up route 6 along the west coast. Different vegetation now we are exposed to the oceanic westerly weather, there is still a hazy sun here where the weather is supposed to be wet all the time. The roads empty of traffic for much of the drive, and I never saw a lorry all day.

 

 

 

Stopped off, with plenty of other tourists, at Knights Point viewpoint for a view of Arnott Point.

 

 

If you see a sign for a viewpoint always stop because it’s always worth it.

Then around midday I stopped for an hour or so for a leg stretcher through the bush, down to another popular spot Monro Beach.

 

 

The highway is heading inland now, but hits the coast again at the almost 10 km. long Maori Beach: Quite a sight.

 

 

It is now about 4.00pm when I am then approaching the Fox and Franz Joseph Glacier’s and have to make a decision: stop now or push on for the next likely stop 3 hours further up the coast.

The west coast cloud has now set in making a visit here less appealing, but driving on till late even less  so: I drive around the small roadside village of Fox Glacier which is pretty well much all motels, a pub, a café, a shop and a petrol station, here purely to cater for the tourist trade to the Fox Glacier.

There is no shortage of accommodation, and after booking in, on the advice of the receptionist who assures me the weather will improve for a visit to the glacier tomorrow, I take a short drive to Lake Matheson for another leg stretch. Very small only an hour or so round. Well engineered as all tourist tracks. Another swing bridge over the river, followed by the ubiquitous grey gravel track and boardwalks and steps. These Kiwis don’t do things by half when it comes to tourists.

 

Supposed to see the mountains reflected in the lake, but not with this overcast, but breaking cloud shows a touch of promise for the morrow. After home cooked supper the sky clears and we see the tops only of snow clad peaks. Hopeful for a quick visit to the Glacier tomorrow.

Lots of tourists now turning up to fill the motels in the evening.

 

I hadn’t mentioned that I stopped for lunch at Haast to try the West Coast delicacy a Whitebait patty.

This turned out to be a small omelette crammed with tiny “baby fish looking at you with their eyes” as one UK tourist described to me in Wanaka. These fish are very different from our British Whitebait, and are tiny ; they are about 30mm. long by 4mm. height and 2mm. width, are a very shiny white (like porcelain) with black eyes and a line of very fine black dots down the side. They look like an exquisite antique objet d’art made by a Japanese craftsman. They tasted vaguely of the sea, but I wasn’t over impressed; but this was only a roadside café and in a top quality restaurant they could probably be more interesting.