Today we decided was an exploration by car day so after a quick session in the gym we headed north west towards the West coast and a small settlement called Haast.
There was a definite chill in the air and although it got warmer there was still a nip in the wind. The trip took us along the shores of Lake Hawea and then along the upper shores of Lake Wanaka....this lake is really large. Just after the Haast pass we had to sit for 30 minutes as road workers were sorting out a landslip and traffic was one way only - but instead of short alternations it was a heck of a length of time to wait, particularly as we were fifth in the queue and only just missed it! The return trip, albeit we were in much trepidation of a repeat, was text book and the stop was changed to GO for us as we arrived and we zipped through. After our initial wait we were getting peckish so stopped off in the village for lunch before heading to the beach to see the west coast.
The beach was deserted, except for one hardy sunbather (too cool for me), with sand dunes and washed up wood adding a rustic natural character to the beach. (today's photo) On our way back to Wanaka we stopped at a couple of the viewpoints and one of the well signed tracks so we could walk the 30 minute round trip to the blue pools - caused by a river with glacial water - they were definitely clear.
The amazing views continued as we drove back to Wanaka - you can see these mountains are new, geologically speaking, as they are still very pointed and craggy and not rounded by erosion.
After a day in the car tomorrow will be a day on foot - we need the exercise.