{"id":584,"date":"2026-02-05T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sjs.sputs.com\/wordpress\/?p=584"},"modified":"2026-04-02T20:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T02:18:10","slug":"2026-day-14-haast-to-glenorchy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sjs.sputs.com\/wordpress\/2026\/02\/05\/2026-day-14-haast-to-glenorchy\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Day 14 Haast to Glenorchy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

February 5, 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Map: Day 14<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It rained most of the night, and we woke up to drizzle and overcast skies. We had about a 4-hour drive from Haast through Mount Aspiring National Park, to Queenstown, and then to Glenorchy. We had already driven the road from Haast to Queenstown twice before on our previous trips, so we focused on places we had not stopped before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early morning we stopped briefly at Haast Beach to say goodbye to the West Coast. The weather conditions were not good, so we didn't stay long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Haast Beach: farewell to the West Coast<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Inside Mount Aspiring National Park we stopped at the Pleasant Flat Recreation Area. We walked a short nature trail through the pretty forest. The weather was clearing slowly as we moved further away from the West Coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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View from Pleasant Flat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Pleasant Flat nature trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The road climbed up over Haast Pass, and the weather turned to partly cloudy. Just outside of Mount Aspiring National Park we stopped at the Makarora Country Cafe and tried the venison meat pies for lunch. They were very good and another favorite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuing on, we stopped at overlooks of Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea. The small strip of land between the two lakes was called The Neck. We drove a side road to view a small waterfall at Neck Creek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lake Wanaka<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Lake Hawea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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