Saturday 28th February
We set off from Haast and after a few miles came to the viewing area for Waita Beach.


A little further along the road was particularily close to the beach and there were warnings that debris could wash over onto the road. Again there were huge pieces of driftwood but here the water was full of something that coloured the surf black.


On the way north to The Glacier Region the Southern Alps towered over the rainforest and there were lots of fast flowing rivers.

We hiked off the main trail to get near the face of Fox Glacier. The glacier had receded and the trail was littered with a variety of boulders, stones and pebbles. We crossed several icy cold streams to get as close to the ice as a local said was safe.

Large lumps of ice had broken and were being washed downstream.

We travelled on through miles of thick forest that spread up the mountain sides.

Later we hiked up a trail to the viewing point for the bigger Franz Josef Glacier. We were surprised to learn that this glacier has increased in size since the 1970's but it is still far smaller than it was 100 years ago.

We are staying the night in Franz Josef Glacier, a small town, and we can see the glacier very easily from the settee in our room.

Friday 27th February
This morning we hiked up Iron Mountain just outside Wanaka. It was very hot but that brought out the scent of the wild herbs.

The circular track brought us down the "back" of the mountain which was very rocky.

Just opposite was Puzzling World, a very entertaining and disorientating experience.

http://www.puzzlingworld.co.nz/

In the afternoon we drove to Haast, a small remote settlement between the rain forest and the Tasman Sea. We passed some beautiful mountains, lakes and meadows.

At one place we walked down to a waterfall and were amused to see these small stone towers built by visitors. We added to the constructions.

Just as we were approaching Haast Pass, we caught sight of Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand, in the distance.

In the late afternoon we walked along the virtually deserted Haast Beach where we saw lots of enormous pieces of driftwood and endured lots of annoying sandflies.

Thursday 26th February

We spent some time in Queenstown this morning because it is a vibrant place with a good feel to it.


We drove along the shores of the lake to Glenorchy. The water was virtually still.


Just outside the town is this waterfall by the roadside. We walked up a rough path to get a closer look.

We stopped at Shotover Canyon to watch the jet boats speeding up the river.

We took a side road up to Coronet Peak and the views from here, though hazy, were wonderful.

Arrowtown is a small old goldmining town with lots of preserved houses from 150 years ago.

We took a back road by the Cardona River and enjoyed some open views of the mountains we were passing through.

We arrived in Wannaka in the late evening and this is the view from our room.

Wednesday 25th February
We enjoyed a scenic drive from Te Anau to Queenstown.


We stopped on the way at Kingston to see this 1908 fully working steam train.



Just down the road from the train station is this beautiful lake.

Further on we stopped to view "Devil's Staircase".

The road continued by the side of the lake.

This is the view of Queenstown from the top of the aerial tramway.

Later in the afternoon we were treated to a show by New Zealand Air Force Display Team.

Tuesday 24th February
Today was one of the best and most scenic journies we have enjoyed anywhere in the world.
We left Te Anau in the morning to travel to Milford Sound. These are some of the pictures of our journey up.

We passed through this rock tunnel in the mountainside.

The scenery was even better on the other side.

We boarded one of the smaller boats with only 22 other people so there was plenty of room.

We were disappointed not to see any dolphins but just as we arrived into port three appeared unexpectedly.

Monday 23rd February
Yesterday we were half way through our holiday when we reached the southernmost point of our journey. Today we begin to travel north.
We completed the second half of the Southern Scenic Route and our first stop was at Riverton Rocks where there were many seabirds.


We turned inland and stopped at Clifden Suspension Bridge which was opened 110 years ago to replace a punt but has now, in its turn, been replaced by a modern concrete bridge. It was really well constructed and would still take a car today.

This is the sort of countryside we were travelling through - open farmlands and tall mountains in the distance.

The Manapouri Power Scheme is being created to provide hydro-electricity for Bluff alumimium smelter with little, or no, environmental impact.

We stopped for a break by the side of Lake Manapouri which has stunning views. Today the sun shone and we enjoyed some blue skies.

We drove on to our destination for the day - Te Anau - on the edge of Fiordland National Park where we enjoyed a walk through the forest on the edge of Lake Te Anau.