March 6, 2014. Wanaka, New Zealand. The Haast Pass.

The interesting thing about New Zealand is going from one area to another, only to discover that the topography is totally different, even though you have only been in the car for two hours. We drove south this morning, then east to travel right along the river as it climbed up the Southern Alps. It is quite a road. In one area, men watch all day to be sure no rocks will slide down onto the road. They quit working at 6:00 so if you miss it, your choice is to return to Franz Josef, which is a two hour drive, or stay in the car and sleep. The road is closed until the men return at 7:00 the next morning. The area is beautiful but sparsely populated, even by New Zealand standards. We are staying for three nights in Wanaka, which along with Queenstown, is the center of the Lake District. The town reminds of Muskoka towns, except here the town is surrounded by mountains.This place is a four season resort as the ski hills are close by and the hiking and climbing is superb. You see many very fit people walking around the town. This morning we left the Tasman Sea and dense lush foliage. It is really a rain forest. As we climbed and drove east, the green was left behind. East of the Southern Alps you have very little rain which shows in the foliage. This town of Wanaka is definitely a beautiful place, but it is brown. But you can see snow on the mountain tops and this is summer in New Zealand. It must be cold in the winter in July. Once again, we have had splendid weather today. This is unusual on the west coast. The lady at the resort this morning mentioned that it looked as though we were going to have another scorcher of a day. I agreed with her, even though the temperature was to be 75!!