Quieter Wanaka and through the Haast Pass

After rushing about in Queenstown we arrived in much quieter and slightly damper Wanaka, where we were very lucky to find very comfortable accommodation at the last minute.

We had a superb walk up to the Rob Roy Glacier which comes down off Mt Aspiring, which unfortunately kept its head in the clouds, but it was lovely to have a cooler day.

 

 Mt Aspiring behind the cloud!

 

 Rob Roy glacier.

We headed off towards the West coast through the Haast Pass the next day - amazed to see the large display of purple, pink, blue and mauve lupins along all our roads.

Aww!

And we did manage to get a view of Mt Aspiring as well!

When we arrived on the West coast we stopped for a quick seaside lunch accompanied by major

 

sandflies and an unexpected but brilliant visit by some endangered Hectors dolphins playing in the waves a stones throw from where we were sitting.

Sorry no pictures of the dolphins!

A very hot and dusty walk up to the end of the Fox Glacier was the next port of call. 25 years before Barbara and Steve had managed to walk on to the foot of the glacier itself, now it has retreated so much and become so unstable it is not possible to walk to the ice at all. The only way on to the glacier now is to fly. Climate Change in the raw.

 The 'mirror 'lake of Lake Matheson was also a bit disappointing as cloud was coming in over Mt Cook.