Day 20: Te Wāhipounamu
Welcome
Yesterday we departed Haast and headed for Hokitika, stopping on the way to visit some glaciers.
Our accommodation was right next to Haast Beach so I began my day with a walk along the driftwood-strewn sand. Tristan kicked his day off by meeting a fleet of Shetland Ponies.
We ate breakfast at the South Westland Salmon Farm & Cafe where I ordered smoked Salmon with fresh rostis, salad, hollandaise, and a poached egg.
It wasn’t long before we crossed over a historic structure which has beaten out several worthy competitors to be named my bridge of the day. The Karangarua Bridge is a steel suspension bridge that was completed in 1939 and with it’s 130m span it remains the longest single-span suspension bridge still in use in Aotearoa.
Our next stop was Te Moeka o Tuawe (Fox Glacier) where we spent a couple of hours doing a bush-walk that led us to an observation point. Sadly the terminus of the glacier has retreated substantially in recent years and it is now inaccessible on foot. But it was still just visible from afar!
We squeezed in a quick visit to Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere (Franz Joseph Glacier) and had a similar experience, but it was still worth it, and you never regret a bush-walk!
What is Tristan doing here? Enter our caption competition by leaving your caption in the comments!
To round off our day we stopped in Franz Joseph township for a pub meal and a Kea sighting. Check out this little ball of mischief!