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From the ice-blue waters of Lake Wanaka to the grandeur of the Haast Pass, SH6 cuts
a winding route through dense forest in Mt Aspiring National Park, before continuing
on up the spectacular West Coast of the South Island. This epic journey provides
the traveller with fresh inspiration at every turn. Here, where towering rainforests,
rugged mountains, icy glaciers, and rivers meet a moody, ever-changing shore, the
friendly West Coaster, a hardy, creative type of New Zealander, makes his home.
We take four days to explore the route from Queenstown to Greymouth. We kick start
our journey with a horse trek in the Cardrona Valley, then Bob takes an impromptu
Spitfire flight and I tease my brain at Puzzling World in Wanaka. Together we join
a thrilling jet boat ride on the Waiatoto River, admire Mt Cook’s sunset reflection
in Lake Matheson, do a challenging hike on Franz Josef glacier, spy on nesting herons,
dine on fresh whitebait and a unique possum stew, and in the manner of true West
Coasters, wash it all down with a jug of Monteiths!
day two: wanaka to franz josef
Key
- Destinations
- Apex Locations
We leave Wanaka early and drive north on SH6, past the still, reflective waters
of Lake Hawea and on through thick rainforest in the magnifi cent Haast Pass. True
to form it’s raining – cats and dogs!“Wow,” says Bob, opening the window then shutting
it abruptly as he’s hit by a deluge, “this really is RAINforest.”
We continue on to Haast keeping the windows firmly closed and just as we ready ourselves
to dive into the information centre the rain stops as abruptly as it started and
out comes the sun. It’s perfect timing: just in time for a spin in a jet boat on
the Waiatoto River. Before we board, our skilled jetboat guide Roger Crow passes
out lifejackets and swandries – a warm woollen jacket favoured by NZ farming folk
– and we climb aboard. It’s a thrilling ride packed with spins and whitewater excitement,
and en route Roger names the mountains of the Haast and the Selbourne Ranges and
provides a commentary on the local area. We pass several interesting sites including
the alpine fault line where botanists have discovered trees growing slower than
elsewhere, and a place where Haast kiwi, the only alpine species, are protected
then released into the wild by Dept. of Conservation.
Afterwards we eat filled rolls at Fantail Café then cross the Haast River Bridge,
the longest single- lane bridge in NZ. Before the bridge was built travellers would
set off explosives to attract the attention of a rower, who would fetch them across
the river. Local legend tells of the rower being held hostage by those isolated
in the north who were keen to catch up on world news!
To read the full story
Please click the link to download the full queenstown to greymouth scenic drive, courtesy of apex
car rentals new zealand... the kiwi way
to read more extracts from our driving holiday's guidebook please click on any of
the following links:
north island scenic drives
south island scenic drives
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