Tuesday, February 7th, 2023: Haast Pass to Te Anau

 As I anticipated my trip to New Zealand, I suffered some anxiety around the photographic opportunities it might present. I feared I would be limited in my subject matter to share little other than beautiful scenery. I believe that our journey from Haast to Te Anau, confirmed that this fear was justified!

Looking East Toward Haast Pass

We had a four and a half hour drive ahead of us, skirting around Wanaka and Queenstown, to get to a little town called Te Anau, the gateway for our travels in Fiordland, over the next few days.

The Roaring Billy Falls

We had read that there were several waterfalls along the route, with very appealing names, so we decided to indulge ourselves in a few walks. The first one we visited was called Roaring Billy Falls. It is 98 feet high and was quite full on this day.

Panoramic of Haast River Valley

I loved trekking along the pebbles of the river bed and seeing the clouds floating around the valleys. There were many other visitors on the roads, so we usually had company on these brief side trips.

Thunder Creek Falls

Clearly, Thunder Creek Falls has quite a different shape from Roaring Billy Falls; but do you see a theme here? Another beautiful waterfall! This one is 390 feet high, so it has a much greater drop and hence the name!

Rapids in the Haast River

So instead of another view of the falls, I thought a photo of the Haast River might please you all. There was a lovely wooden walk way coming down to the river, so it was easy to access.

A Biker at Thunder Falls

Imagine my pleasure when I came back up the stairs and saw this wonderful face. I thought for a moment I had landed in Lord of the Rings! He could have been one of the dwarfs! I figure New Zealand must be the land of beards.

The Three Bikers at Thunder Falls

He was one of three bikers we chatted with and after I'd told them him about my blog and photos of the bearded miners in Reefton, he proffered his face for a photo. Nadine thought my moxy was over the top, but as you see, they all ended up being perfectly happy to pose for me. You can see from their gear that these men were well protected against the wet. They said once we got over the pass it would be much drier.

Cameron Flat

We stopped at one more waterfall, Fantail Falls. It seemed very similar to Roaring Billy, so I spare you the photo. Near the top of the pass, we stopped at this lovely spot for a picnic lunch. It was still raining, so we appreciated the picnic shelter there, however it did not protect us from the midges, so heavy application of bug spray was required. This view of the grassy river valley with the Mount Aspiring National Park in the distance, evoked memories of the 'tramping' I had done back in the day. I really enjoyed this space.

Panoramic View from Cameron Flats

The bikers were correct. Once we started down the hill into the region called Otago, the vegetation and sky completely changed.

Panoramic View of Lake Wanaka

As we approached Wanaka, there are two very large lakes - Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea. There was a very stiff wind blowing, but there was blue in the skies and the hills/mountains were much more barren. As the weather comes from the west, it makes sense - this eastern region, Otago, is a rainshadow.

Sheep Near Te Anau

As we had spent so much time taking side trips on the Haast Pass, we thought we'd better get busy with our south-ward journey, so it was 'heads down' and keep driving. We knew that we would return on the same road a few days later as our plan was for Nadine to drop me off in Queenstown to join my singing event.

Domestic Deer Near Te Anau

The photographs near Te Anau were taken on the return journey on Saturday, February 11th, along the same road. It is a very rural area, as you see above - deer, alpaca, cattle and lots of hay and other feed crops. I was surprised to see domesticated deer here, as they are a pest in the wild, like the possum. They were introduced for game hunting in 1851 and create damage by feeding on native plants, trees and seedlings. They would like to eradicate the feral deer.

Hay Bales near Te Anau

The signs of vigorous farming were abundant, but in an absolutely beautiful setting!

Plastic-Wrapped Hay Bales Near Te Anau

Other farmers wrapped their bales in plastic. We couldn't figure out why, unless it was an alternative to building a shed. We liked the sheds better! I thought the way they were scattered around this field in the photo above made me think it was a wheat graveyard!

Mountains East of Te Anau

And so.... as I said at the beginning, there was little on this day other than beauty; whether wet or dry. It doesn't offer much in the way of material for profound comments or insights....and it just keeps going on wherever direction one turns!

The next two days we will be travelling to the two northernmost sounds, here in New Zealand's Fiordland. I might struggle with the same issue on the next blog too. I hope you don't mind suffering along with me.