A Remarkable drive

 We wanted to walk to the Blue Pools in Mt Aspiring national park. They are about half way through the Haast Pass and looked stunning. Unfortunately, due to their beauty, they have become super popular [thanks to Instagram] and now DOC have closed the swing bridge access as its not safe for the higher amount of visitors.  You can still walk upstream, through the ice melt river, but the DOC officer in the Haast office did all he could to suggest this wasn't a good idea. So the image below is what we didn't see but we'll save that for another visit to the mighty West Coast. Onwards!

Another stunning day, we have had to pinch ourselves sometimes as the scenery is so beautiful.  We were thinking about how magical it would look with a light dusting of snow on the mountains.  Lots of campervans on the move and a few hardy cyclists heavy laden with panier bags and some even biking with additional backpacks on, hot work in the  summer heat. 

As you come to the pass dropping down alongside Lake Hawea its another breathtaking moment - the scale of mountains and the colour of the deep blue lake.... stunning.  Remember to click on the photo's to enlarge and then zoom in mum :)

I visited Lake Hawea about 30yrs ago when it was just a tiny settlement beside the lake. I remember we had sammies sitting on a field beside the lake that had recently been cut for hay. Now  in that same spot there are beautiful homes and it's seen quite some development. Not as bad as Queenstown thank goodness, so it still has a 'hamlet' feel.  Gotta love Lake Hawea!

Wanaka was busy, busy, busy. Great to see so many holiday makers out and about and I'm sure the local hospo teams and hotels are appreciative  of the summer influx after a tough year in 2023.  If you zoom in the picture below you can still see snow on the upper mountain ranges.  

On to Queenstown via the Crown Range.  We didn't stop at Cardrona but whilst the snow bunnies were not around we  did see lots of cyclists and hikers making the most of the tracks on a hot sunny day. 

The Crown Range road is a beauty.  So much scenery and again the scale of the mountains just beside the car is immense.  It was super dry today and what stock we did see were laying down in the paddock looking sleepy. The pasture was so dry.  We stopped at the summit and as you looked down the road you could  see Queenstown in the distance - what a view. 

 I'm not sure I would like to drive down it in snow, see the picture below I found online -  apparently its treacherous in the snow season. 

We did a quick circuit through the Queenstown centre and the traffic jams - that was enough and we hightailed it out to where we were staying near the Kawerau river which is  much quieter with peaceful riverside walks. We watched as planes took off from Queenstown airport and they looked like matchbox toys against the backdrop of the incredible Remarkables ranges - they literally stop you in your tracks they are so impressive.

We found a 'dream' house tucked into the side of the Kawerau river with the Remarkables as a backdrop - what a spot and a gorgeous evening to boot.  Can't complain :)