isley17027: Wakatipu to Franz Joseph

This was another day of indescribable scenic beauty. We started off on the south tip of Lake Wakatipu, and drove north towards Queenstown. We saw some of the Middle Earth film locations, but some are on private land that has since been gated off and posted no trespassing (bummer). The highlight has got to be the short walk through a beauiful cliffside vineyard to the top of the steep ravine where they filmed the "Pillars of the Kings" at Argonath, etc. It didn't have the actual kings of course, as they were added digitally. It's right near the short but high bridge over the river where bungee jumping was first begun, and we watched several take the plunge. Apparently you can pay for either the plain jump, or the "Dunker" where they measure out enough bungee cord for your top half to go in the river before bouncing back upwards. We saw both. Only 43 meters drop, but enough to confirm that this is nothing I am interested in paying to do.

Then we drove north to Arrowtown, an old wild west type place with gold rush sensibilities. We had a picnic lunch and walked a bit on the gravelly river bed near where the Fords of Bruinen scene was shot. It was sunny and hot, the water cold and very clear, and we were on our way again.

We drove towards Wanaka by way of the hill country short cut, and BOY was it hilly. The road switched back on itself so many times we lost count. sometimes due to the steep incline not making it into 3rd gear for long stretches. (Driving a stick shift has been OK, but there are times when I really long for an automatic transmission and cruise control!) The land was very steep, with crazy barren hillsides with barely any grass, not even any sheep -- and that's saying something because everywhere you go (almost) you see acres and acres of sheep munching away on the impossibly emerald green pastures, separated from other pastures with cows, deer and, occasionally goats or alpaca.

The road brought us, at about 3:00, to the cozy little resort community of Wanaka, situated on the shores of Lake Wanaka, where we stopped only long enough to get some tea and cookies for the ride. (You must maintain some civilities while traveling.)

Pressing onwards we took the crazy twisting "highway" further north crossing the only place where you can get to the other coast for many hundred kilometers. Part of the trip follows more beautiful lakes with sharp mountains for backdrops. Then we went through a short piece of the southern Alps, through the Haast Pass, where many of the bridges are very narrow and only one lane, and of course you take turns If there's oncoming traffic (which there wasn't mostly). One such bridge overlooked a sight we had to stop and investigate: the Gates of Haast. We climbed down from the road to see them closer, and spent a good half hour climbing on the huge boulders and watching the bright clear green blue rapids descending towards the sea. On one of these bridges we chased a small stoat back across the bridge to the same side he started from. He ran panicked back and forth from side to side, weaving to and fro, until finally back on solid ground, and the car waiting its turn was surely wondering why on earth we were driving across that bridge so slowly!

We followed this river twisting and turning it's way down from the Pass to the little hamlet of Haast, where we got petrol (diesel, actually) and kept moving. Stopping briefly again when we saw the seashore within view of the road, we dipped our toes in the Tasman Sea, threw some perfect skipping stones, discovered a little cave that we all agreed would make a nice shelter for a pirate, and, even thought it was past 7:00 , we kept moving north as fast as the little country road -- pretending to be an interstate -- would allow. We only stopped once more for a small flock of sheep stampeding down the highway. The shepherd on his ATV with his collie were chasing them from one pasture to the next, and they matched right down towards and around both sides of the vehicle.

We arrived at our campground in Franz Joseph Glacier at 9:15, just as the clerk was locking up the office for the day, then went back to town for some dinner at a little Indian restaurant.

Tomorrow we hope to see some of the glacier, drive to Greymouth to see the Pancake Rocks, and see how far north we get. I'm tired, and don't have energy to wrassle with the iPad to get photos uploaded, so maybe I'll add them in the morning while I eat my breakfast.