4 minute read
ROAD TRIP: A journey through Haast
Fox Glacier to Haast via SH 6 - 1hr 30min, 121km
Advertisement
Haast to Wanaka Inland via SH 6 - 1hr 52min, 142km
SIDE TRIP: Haast to Jackson Bay via Haast - Jackson Bay Rd - 40min, 51.3km
Ship Creek © West Coast Tourism
The incredible variety and breathtaking scenery of the southwest corner of the South Island – its windswept beaches, dunes, lakes and wetlands has earned it UNESCO World Heritage area status. It includes four national parks – Westland Tai Poutini, Aoraki Mt Cook, Mt Aspiring and Fiordland.
Heading south, the angle of the coastal trees almost bent to the ground gives you an idea of the weather in these parts. It’s windy, wild and wet. But more rain than other regions means the rainforest is greener and the waterfalls and rainbows are even more spectacular than elsewhere. From Haast Pass to Wanaka, the landscape changes, opening to valleys and wide views.
Haast World Heritage Area © West Coast Tourism
HIGHLIGHTS
GLACIER LAKES
Much of the drive to Wanaka gives you views of the ice-blue glacier lakes. There are numerous viewing lookouts along the way from which to enjoy the magnificent scenery.
Haast World Heritage Area © West Coast Tourism
LAKE PARINGA
This distinctive horseshoe-shaped lake is surrounded by podocarp forests that regenerated after glaciers scoured the area tens of thousands of years ago. The Jamie Creek Walkway along the lake edge takes you to a forest of kahikatea and rimu. Birdlife is plentiful, including kererū – the native New Zealand wood pigeon.
HAAST RIVER SAFARI
This is a jet-boat safari with a difference. The all-weather safari-craft is fully enclosed and gives you a close-up view of the river but you get to stay warm and dry.
KNIGHTS PT LOOKOUT
Just south of Lake Moeraki and marked by a monument to commemorate the building of the road from the east coast across the Haast Pass to Haast in the 1950s,this looks out over the Tasman Sea with incredible views in all directions.
HAAST PASS
Travelling between Haast and Wanaka, you cross the dramatic Haast Pass. Once a walking track for Māori searching for pounamu (greenstone), the pass became a busy route for gold prospectors in the region’s 1860 goldrush. The road follows the river with towering alpine ridges towering on one side and steep forest walls on the other.
HAAST WHITEBAIT FESTIVAL
Held in October each year, whitebait is the hero of this festival. There’s a Great Whitebait cook-off and other whitebait challenges such as count the whitebait and the great whitebait maze. Join the fun with live music, market day stalls and other family friendly activities.
PARINGA
This wee town is only a three-minute drive from South Westland Salmon Farm & Café, with its all-day menu and tasty fresh salmon sold in the shop.
BLUE POOLS OF HAAST
After a short walk from the car park on SH 6 near Makaroro just north of Muddy Creek, cross a swing bridge that leads through a silver beech forest to a viewing platform. This overlooks pools of pure glacial water that are crystal clear and bright blue. Look for the large brown and rainbow trout that live in the river.
Blue Pools, Haast Pass © Julian Apse
HAAST
Haast World Heritage Area
West Coast Tourism
Haast is a group of three settlements – Haast township, Haast Junction and Haast Beach that lie on an extensive low wetland created by the massive rivers that flow from the Southern Alps into the Tasman Sea. It’s a wild, dramatic landscape.
At Haast there are two general stores, 24/7 fuel, a gallery and gift stores, and a range of accommodation and dining options.
The SH 6 between Haast and Wanaka takes you past many roadside waterfalls. Many of them can be seen from the road or have car parks where you can stop and walk. The best time to capture photos of these falls is after it’s been raining. Pop into the Haast Visitor Centre to watch a 20-minute film titled Edge of Wilderness: a delightful summary of Haast’s rugged landscape and diverse wildlife.
Waiatoto River Safari
West Coast Tourism
SIDE TRIP: Jackson Bay
THE END OF THE ROAD
Take the right fork before Haast and drive down to Jackson Bay, one ofthe most remote villages in New Zealand. Just 50km south of Haast, the tiny settlement is at the end of the West Coast Road. Jackson Bay is the only sheltered open-sea anchorage on the West Coast. It’s a working port, so you can meet the local fisherman on the wharf as they come back with the day’s catch. Or stop for a yarn with the locals at The Craypot – a caravan café famous for classics such as whitebait, seafood chowder, crayfish and fish and chips. Opening times vary and only during the summer months.
Jackson Bay © West Coast Tourism
Main image: Waiatoto River Safari © West Coast Tourism
