Position 44 40.208S 168 54.771E

Left Arrowtown and drove along the highest paved road in NZ to Wanaka.  Guess who’s idea that was?  There were 5 chain bays on the way up (and down).  This viewpoint overlooks the Queenstown airport way in the distance.  We were higher here than the planes landing (well we would be), if you get my drift.  We watched one coming in to land on the road up, waited 30 mins for another but nothing.  You can just make out the landing strip in the distance, middle of the LHS picture whitish line. RHS looking back down part of the road which we climbed up.  Paul still obsesses with trucks ‘n things.

Further up the road the vegetation changed to grass tussocks.

Highest point of the Crown Range Summit Road – 1076m.  Paul looking good.

View and monument to celebrating the pass road.  The first Europeans came through in 1860 and in 1877 the first tourist trips using horse drawn coaches came over this pass.  It was finally sealed in 2000.

The road down the othe side of the pass was much more confined.

Booked into an incredibly expensive campsite in Wanaka – changed their prices since Lonely Planet wrote about them.  Still free Wi-Fi and Paul will use that all night.  I picked up a NZ road atlas in Australia, inside it has lots of LOTR (Lord of the Rings) icons where various scenes were filmed.  We decided to drive to one of them, across the Matukituki river to a flooded field.  To be truthful we couldn’t find the spot, didn’t see any orcs to point the way.

Then decided to drive to Mount Aspiring National Park.  On the road way a couple of waterfalls and a nice view. 

We then reached the sign that said no motor vans, (OK so Lonely Planet got that one right) just after the Treble Cones ski resort, and had to turn back.

Doris got her head stuck whilst trying to attract the deer.

Not sure what he was doing but recovered for his sensible photo.

View of Lake Wanaka.  Paul pronounces it, Wanka.  I think he might have a point.  It is supposed to be the sleepy version of Queenstown.  Well shoot me.

The best sight in Wanaka.