Haast Pass

 

A little exploring along the Haast Pass and Mt Aspiring National Park today.  Wide open braided river beds bordered by sheer mountains rising directly from the river beds, spectacular. 

Thunder Creek Falls in Mt Aspiring National Park are a beautiful example of the many waterfalls along the Haast Pass. It must be an incredible sight in the spring snow melt. 

The forest growth is a mix of Beech, Birch and MIro and lots of epiphytes!

Rainbow falls are pretty and visitors have created little stone columns similar to the pilgrim stones we have seen on Camino Santiago. 

The rock textures are really interesting with so many colours and textures. 

Off to Okuru River and a chance to see the West Coast famed whitebait set ups. There are some very fancy shcmancy whitebait stations which in season I imagine are closely guarded.  

We did a little 30 min wetland walk around the Okuru estuary. No birds to be seen but a really pleasant stroll before the forecast rain arrived. Lots of different colours and textures in nature and again the tree canopy is staircased from the forest floor to treetops with the most fantastic epiphyte growth. 

Very quick updates today in glacier country as the wifi signal is really patchy and this is coming to you from the local pub where there is signal :)