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Introduction
These are a few of my personal favorite places I have been fortunate to visit in NZ. All images are taken by me on various road trips. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Graeme
South Island - Westland - Blue Pools
The Blue Pools, Haast to Wanaka Highway
A short 5-10 minute walk from a carpark, over a swingbridge to the junction of the Blue and Makaroroa rivers. Clear blue water, can see trout swimming at times. The swingbridge is worth it alone! Check out the flood level records at the viewing platforms, and then try to visualise the flood levels from the stone flats. Oh yeah - take insect repellent.
Carpark at S44.16441 E169.27658
South Island - North Cantebury - Sylvia Flats Hotsprings
Just a walk of a minute or two from a carpark right beside a river. Very popular but not signposted. Take industrial strength sandfly repellent.
Look for a rest area off the Lewis Pass Highway on the eastern side of the pass. Not too far from the Deerstalkers hut. I've stopped here a number of times and every time it has been different with the river moving the rocks around.
S42.49034 E172.38672
Google Map
600m ASL so in winter there is a good chance of snow.
South Island - Otago - Cardrona Hotel
Historic, iconic Cardrona Hotel. Does a good line of food, coffee and beer. Very nice gardens at the rear of the hotel.
S44.88122 E169.00384
On the Crown Range road between Queenstown and Wanaka, so good there is a copy built in Auckland (Mt Eden)
South Island - Mt Cook - Mueller lookout
Mueller lookout
Excellent view of the Mueller glacier lake, much more dramatic than the Kia Point lookout and easier to walk to. About 10 minutes easy walk from the carpark at the end of the Hooker Valley Road. Take the track marked Hooker Valley and the lookout is off to the left about 800m from the campground at the road end.
If you do have a couple of hours to spare it is worth the walk up the Hooker Valley. The terminal lake has ice floating in it, and has spectacular views up to Mount Cook (as long as the cloud stays back)
S43.71674 E170.10266
South Island - Marlborough Sounds - Lookout Point
Lookout Point, Marlborough Sounds. Awesome view of the Sounds. A couple of minutes walk from a carpark located just off Queen Charlotte Drive near Havelock, 3.6km from the Havelock end. The view isn't so spectacular if the tide is out
S41.26738 E173.78315
