Part 2D: Departing Queenstown, Lake Wanaka, and Barely Making it Over Haast Pass (15 photos)

On our way back to Queenstown we stopped at some random old shed and began what would become a tradition for the rest of the trip: roadside naps. When we arrived back at Queenstown we decided to take one more day to chill at the beach and hang out with some friends that we made in town. Being Saturday, the beach filled up and at one point was visited by some bougie folks in an expensive looking boat. They beached the bow and remained on board, drinking fancy cocktails, and staring down at the rest of us. Some local teens then executed a hilarious prank and crept along the surf, out of the boaters sight, up to the bow. Then they pushed the boat off of the sand and out into the lake. The boaters faces were hysterical! They were so mad but accepted defeat and motored off. The sunset was gorgeous and allowed for some great silhouette shots.

Sam approves of the nap shed.

Playing catch.

Duck swimming around Lake Wakatipu.

Lake Wakatipu.

Nick picked his motorbike up from Lake Wanaka so he was our sherpa on the route up there. We first climbed a steep set of seven switchbacks to Arrow Junction Lookout Point and had a photoshoot for our bikes. Then we cruised along some high roads and at one point passed a farm that had hundreds of bras decorating the roadside fence. Silly Kiwi’s! Then the elevation began dropping back down to the town of Wanaka, situated on the southern shores of Lake Wanaka. We checked in at a hostel and then went for a hike and found a tree fort which was a perfect place for another nap. Back in town we grabbed some burgers to enjoy on the lake shore when suddenly a brave seagull divebombed Nick from behind and grabbed a french fry out of his mouth. Nick was infuriated but there was nothing to be done. We shared some beers at the hostel’s huge balcony and then turned in early to rest up for another long day of riding.

Arrow Junction Lookout Point.

Arrow Junction Lookout Point.

Just some typical fence decor.

It is perfect!

Three amigos in probably some random kids tree fort.

We knew rain was en route but we were determined to make it to the glacier for Christmas so we decided to attempt to make it over Hasst Pass. The ride is along Highway 6 which snakes along the edge of Lake Hawea, crosses over a narrow length of land (known as The Neck which divides Lake Hawea from Lake Wanaka) and then follows Lake Wanaka’s shores. We could see the rain racing towards us from across the lake and we hoped to get over the pass, with its myriad of turns and sheer cliffs, and down to the town of Haast. Highway 6 twists around the Makarora River for a bit before heading over a peak and then links up with the Haast River. The rain hit hard as the ascent began and it drenched us. Dry creeks rapidly filled and then drained onto the road on their way to the river below. At one point a waterfall materialized and was gushing water directly onto the roadway. Both lanes were underneath the pouring water and we just had to ride right under it. We were cold and miserable when we reached the town of Haast and learned that the rain was so heavy that they had closed the pass shortly after we began our trip. We warmed up with some cuppas and sandwiches at the local diner and then pushed on for another 120km in the wet to Ivory Lodge Hostel. Thankfully, their wood-burning stove was pumping out heat and we laid our wet gear out to dry.

A storms a-coming!

Soaking wet but surviving.

Drying out our gear after a long and wet ride.