Ship Creek Walk

Our last real stop on our journey up the west coast to Fox Glacier was at Ship Creek Tauparikaka Walks along the beach & on a boardwalk through some heavy vegetation.



The boardwalk was a great little path through the sand dunes.



I like that the official NZ description is swamp forest- it's a pretty fitting name. There was a small covered area with some educational diagram & an observation tower for great views.



We hiked along the boardwalk & were soon into the think (and very tall!) brush.



The trail led us out to the beach area, which was desolate and some pretty big waves breaking on the shore.



There was a second little lookout deck, barely visible in the photos, that you could hike up to in just a few minutes for a different elevated view.



It's interesting to see two different ecosystems- the beach & the swamp forest, so close together.



This is also the one and only place where we were attacked by the sand flies. I don't think I've ever been attacked by so many bugs at one time!



From the first observation tower, you could see a beautiful mist forming at the base of the mountain where waves were crashing down.



This quiet little tide pool had some birds and fishing just hanging out.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Done with all the photos in the Wanaka folder- just Fox Glacier & our return trip to Christchurch to blog.

Gates of Haast

Our next point of interest on our journey up New Zealand's west coast was the Gates of Haast, which takes you through the Haast Pass in the Southern Alps.

Although a typical one-way bridge and on the main road, there was still so little traffic that you could walk out along the bridge and check out the raging Haast River below.

These boulders were huge & the water was creating quite the torrent around them.



The walls of the surrounding mountains are incredibly steep & some are practically vertical.

It's a neat little place for a driving break & to appreciate the power and enormity of mother nature.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY:5 whole weeks ahead of me with no work travel scheduled (well, at least yet!).

Wanaka to Fox Glacier

I'm posting all out of order, but it will just have to do for now! Departing Wanaka & heading up the west coast to our next destination, Fox Glacier, we enjoyed driving along two stunning lakes- Lake Hawea & Lake Wanaka.



The water in both was a brilliant blue & they were flanked by spectacular mountains for shorelines.



We pulled over at a few places & look-outs to learn about how the glaciers came to carve out this area & learn a little bit of history.



At the Lake Wanaka Lookout, I was reminded of some of the terrain up in Alaska on the Klondike Highway.



It was still pretty chilly in these parts, even in summer & the strong winds made a jacket a necessity.



This little rock beach made me wish we'd packed a picnic to sit on the shore and enjoy the waves.



I loved catching glimpses of far-off peaks piercing the sky through closer valleys.



We also started to see many smaller glaciers clinging to the mountain face in this area.



I love all the layers in this photo- flat valley floor, gentle river, rolling hills, towering mountains, a glacier, blue sky & puffy clouds.



We traveled along the lovely Makarora River for quite some time on the journey & H kept wanting to stop and fish (if we had any fishing gear!).



We kept driving further north & deeper into the mountains, but it was looking like rain ahead.



We couldn't resist pulling over for another picture beside the idyllic river.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Survived Austin with the kids & have no plans, other than relax, next weekend!

Blue Pools Hike

After our heli-flight, we headed out on the next segment of our drive, over the Alps & up along the west coat to a tiny town called Fox Glacier.



One of the walks that we'd heard about repeatedly is the Blue Pool hike just north of Makarora, which is a very small portion of the Blue Valley Track.



The train was easily accessible to most people & it's so peaceful to walk through such ancient forests surrounded by giant trees.



Just a few minute hike from the car & we were crossing bridge and seeing spectacular water.



The pools weren't as blue as I've seen them in some photos, but they were gorgeous nonetheless.



We walked a bit further down the trail until we could walk along the river's edge.



Gotta love a well-placed rock & the self-timer on the camera.

There was this really interesting geologic area. It was a giant wall of very brittle, thin sheets of rock.

Up close, this rock wall was just crumbling and flaking apart.

See the fish? H wished we'd had a pole!

There were two narrow suspension bridges to cross the Makarora River. It's a easy, fun little hike & a nice break during a long day of riding in the car.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Headed to Miami today for work...hopefully it won't be death-heat down there.

Sights Above Wanaka

Leaving our private lake, we flew a slightly different route back to Wanaka and were treated to even more stellar views.

Still no view of Mt. Aspiring, but it was impressive even surrounded by clouds.

Back down the flat valleys, away from the big peaks.

Times like this I wished I'd take geology and knew more about the how's and why's of mountains.

Lots of clouds made for a very speckled sunlight & a bumpy ride.



We pass by the city of Wanaka and get a great shot of the inlet where the town and surrounding areas sit.



And back by the airport, we fly over a commercial deer farm.

It's so strange to see deer grazing like cows or sheep.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Wicked this afternoon!

Private Alpine Lake

The heli-flight continued past Mt. Aspiring and over some spectacular rock formations.

Being near the tops of so many peaks was an amazing experience.

You get a unique appreciation for all the patterns and formations of the mountains and can only imagine how mother nature formed such beauty.

We ended up near this amazing lake at the top of a mountain.

The pilot landed & we were able to stand on the shores & be surrounded by cliffs still towering above us.

As a snow and glacier fed lake, it was incredibly clear and a beautiful shade of blue.

It was so unreal (and cold!) to be standing there...where so few other people had ever been.

The rocks on the shoreline were these cool flat, round, thin guys.

We watched as wind lapped little waves along the shoreline.

One of the many gorgeous peaks towering over us.

Another one of my absolute favorite photos from our trip- top of the world, gorgeous and private.

On the way back to Wanaka, more striking mountains mixed with greenery and snow.

Bye-bye beautiful lake!

As we took off, we got some great views of the little beach area where we'd landed.

Getting ever further away, you get some perspective on how small this little lake is compared to the surroundings and how it's perfectly tucked into the mountain.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Headed back to San Diego today...hopefully to have some fun!