On Walkabout On: New Zealand’s West Coast

After finishing my hike around New Zealand’s Lake Matheson, my wife and I then began to head south down the South Island’s West Coast toward our next destination, Queenstown:

The trip from the Fox Glacier area south towards the coastal city of Haast was spectacular with the road off and on hugging the coastline and giving views of rocky beaches swept by the waves of the bordering ocean:

At some points along the road there are pull outs high enough up on the cliffs to where we could see some extremely great views of the Tasman Sea that separates New Zealand and Australia:

There was also some nice pleasant coves that could be observed along the western coast towards Haast as well:

More often then not these scenic coves with a few small sandy beaches were home to a variety of wildlife such as these sea lions:

Overall, the road along the West Coast is not in the same category of scenic beauty as Australia’s Great Ocean Road, but it does provide views that even the Great Ocean Road at times can’t compare to, and that is of the snow capped peaks of the Southern Alps that watch over the variety of lakes on the West Coast:

Besides watching over lakes these majestic peaks also stood watch over a variety of rivers that were currently flowing no where near their maximum depths:

Looking at these rivers I can only imagine what a sight they must be in the wet season when they are flowing at their max compacity.  The flowing water must be a tremendous sight.  However, as scenic as the drive along the West Coast was, my wife and I were about to enter the real beauty of New Zealand’s South Island which is without a doubt its Southwest World Heritage Area.

Next Posting: Across the Southwest World Heritage Area

Prior Posting: Lake Matheson

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