Haast Pass, NZ

After driving and sightseeing along the west coast for a couple of days, we headed inland and crossed the Haast Pass through the mountains. The winding drive was spectacular and we crossed many bridges along the way. Each time we had to check for oncoming traffic as almost all the bridges on the South Island are only one-lane! We had a whole day to complete this 145 km drive so we made several stops and hikes along the way. There were lots of waterfalls to stop and see. We randomly stopped at a hike called Blue Pools and it turned out to be gorgeous. The hike through the woods was pretty and we got to cross yet another swing bridge over another of New Zealand's beautiful rivers. The hike ended at the so-named Blue Pools and they certainly lived up to their name. We could see lots of huge trout swimming in the crystal-clear pools and had it not been for the freezing water, it would have made a good swim. Emma played along the river, alternating between being a goat or being Gollum from Lord of the Rings. In this picture she looks exactly like Gollum and her voice was also a perfect creepy match to the character.The Haast Pass travels by two amazing lakes before ending in the town of Wanaka. It was a perfect sunny day and the surface of the lakes looked like glass. Lake Wanaka was the first lake we saw, but the second lake, Lake Hawea, was even more spectacular.