The drive from Franz Josef to Wanaka is known to be one of the best scenic routes in the world. Having said that, it deserves a post on its own. Allow me to take you on a joyride on Haast Pass, also known as New Zealand State Highway 6 .
The Breathtaking Haast Pass
After two hike detours at Fox Glacier and Lake Matheson that same morning, Yohann drove for 288 kilometers.
It was supposed to be a three and a half hour drive but it took us longer.
Click here for the interactive map.
We took advantage of the lookouts and slowly digested the visual smorgasbord of varying landscapes in cruising mode.
The journey reveals the rugged coastline of the Tasman Sea, the elephant seals at Knightspoint Lookout, the snow capped peaks of Mount Cook, and the sandy beaches of Jackson Bay.
Upon crossing Haast River bridge that serves as the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park, we watched the coast disappear from the rear view mirror. We drove through meandering alpine roads through lush rainforests.
Enjoy the inland route along the World Heritage Area of Haast Pass. It offers a spectacular scenery of glacier fed blue pools, rushing rivers of Haast and Makarora and three towering waterfalls - Roaring Billy Falls (30 meters high - 30 minute hike from the carpark), Thunder Creek Falls (28 meters high- 5 minute walk from the main road) , and Fantail Falls (5 minute walk from the highway). None of which we have seen due to lack of time.
We took a short break at Lake Wanaka Viewpoint at Boundary Creek. From there, we took stops at every look out point since we were in closer proximity to our final destination, the small lakeside town of Wanaka.
My video and photos do not give justice to the actual beauty of this scenic route. It holds everything that you might want to see around the world within a day.
We are off to Wanaka on my next post. To be continued...
