Southern Lakes District

One of the most remote sections of highway in NZ is the Haast road.  Connecting Haast on the west coast to Wanaka in the east, it wasn’t complete until the late 20th century.  The lowest of the passes through the southern alps, Haast pass has a lookout track, which we decided to have a go at.  Last time we passed through here, the rain and clouds blocked any views.








With the divide and west coast in our review mirror, we continued on into the southern lakes district.


The dry landscape stands in stark contrast to the rainforest west of the divide. Here the prevailing winds combine with towering peaks to wring the moisture for the great ocean winds.









In the center of the lakes district are a series of fertile valleys, many with extensive fruit and wine farming.  Cromwell has a giant fruit statue as a subtle clue.


Queenstown is the largest city in the immediate area, and it is a tourism hub.  We avoid it as often as possible, but due to geography, we have been forced to take the 30+-minute slog through the pedestrian-and-tour-bus-clogged city center in order to reach the more remote inner ranges to the northwest.

Just outside the city, the main highway follows a river gorge towards Cromwell.  On the east bank, a narrow, winding road provides some peace and good views.




The new bridge.


The historic suspension bridge (about 100 years old).  Notice the bungee jumping platform at the center.






You may notice this scenery from the Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring.  This is the Anduin river that the fellowship floats down just prior to Boromir's betrayal.  They added two large statues to the sides via CGI.



With daylight left to burn, we drove up the Crown Range Road.  Being the highest paved road in NZ, we hoped for a interesting drive.

Here we are at about 1076 meters.










Our parking spot for lunch was pretty good too.