NZ Road Trip: South Island Day 8 To the West Coast

In the Morning I awoke early to hike up to Sawyer Burn Hut. The views over Lake Hawea from the track were outstanding. I was tempted to go on to Sentinel Peak, but sadly did not have the time.

Onwards to the west coast we went, following highway Six. On the way we stopped at the famous blue pools, a short walk through the forest into a glacier outflow river that maintains a gorgeous blue hue in the sunshine. Here we found some beautiful and strange purple mushrooms growing in the forest.

It got more lush, wild, and wet as we approached the coast. We passed through the town of Haast, a tiny West coast fishing village. This is the southern most town on the west coast that is accessible by road.

We pulled in for the night under steady rain too another DOC sure at Lake Paringa River/Lakeside DOC spot. We had a quick break in the rain too explore the site and Lake, chatting with some hunters along the way who were going deep in the bush to hunt for deer. The rain kicked up again through the night and into the morning.