ROAD TRIP - Fox Glacier to Wanaka

A journey through Haast

Fox Glacier to Haast via SH 6 1hr 30min, 121km

Haast to Wanaka Inland via SH 6 1hr 52min, 142km

SIDE TRIP - Haast to Jackson Bay via Haast- Jackson Bay Rd 40min, 51.3km

Four national parks and UNESCO World Heritage status. This region’s not one to brag, but it really should.

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.

Waiatoto River Safari, Haast

© West Coast Tourism

HIGHLIGHTS

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 skirts the lake’s edge, weaving through a forest of kahikatea and rimu. Birdlife is plentiful, including kererū – the native New Zealand wood pigeon.

HAAST RIVER SAFARI 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.

Waiatoto River Safari, Haast

© West Coast Tourism

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. Looking out over the Tasman Sea, the views are incredible 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 gold rush. 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. Join the fun with live music, market day stalls and other family-friendly activities.

PARINGA This wee town is only a threeminute drive from South Westland Salmon Farm & Café. The nearby Lake Paringa Campsite offers boating, fishing, and idyllic swims in the lake.

South Westland Salmon Farm is a beautiful pitstop along SH 6. Call in for salmon feeding, a cosy café with wood burner, an elevated deck with views of the salmon farm and a salmon shop.

South Westland Salmon Farm

© South Westland Salmon Farm

BLUE POOLS OF HAAST

After a short walk from the car park on SH 6 near Makarora 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. Even in the summer months the water is icy cold, so go prepared.

Blue Pools, Makarora

© Adobe Stock

HAAST

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.

Haast World Heritage Area

© 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 of the 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