The end of this drive through the mountains brings you to Haast after the 145 kms drive
from Wanaka. The best place to stop after your drive whether it is from the north or the
south is McGuire's Lodge right on Route Six. Great food and fabulous coffee at their cafe,
restaurant and bar and accommodation if you need it. The only place we stop and rest
before going on. Sometime if we are running late we will take the next road left by the
bridge and go to Haast Beach and spend the night freedom camping. We do go on to
Jackson Bay, time permitting, where a feed of crayfish is a must. More later on this side
trip.
Here also is a must stop at the Haast Visitor Information Centre just down the road from
McGuires so you can see what all is going on in this region that is internationally
recognized as a World Heritage Area.
At McGuires enquire about HeliVentures. If you want to truly experience the tops in
scenic helicopter flights this is the one. It is owned and operated by a pioneer in the
business ( a true legend) Dave Saxton and his son Morgan who have over 40 years
combined flying experience. The tales Dave can tell alone are worth the visit to see them.
Not only scenic flights to the Lost Valley, the glaciers, Mt. Aspiring, Mt. Cook, Milford
Sound, they also provide fishing and hunting trips. What a way to really experience this
wild country of the West Coast and south to the Sounds. Areas one could never dream of
seeing otherwise and from a perspective that illustrates the massive depth and dimension.
Sometimes the crowds at Franz Josef and at Queenstown overwhelm the time allowed for
everyone to take a flight from there. One of the ways not to get bogged down with too
many people and no place to park as in some of the higher trafficked areas is to go to
Haast. From here at Haast with Heliventures it is easy. If you are planning any kind of
helicopter flights check this one out. Paula had positive experiences with Dave Saxton in
the pioneer days when he used to fly her and her partner in to remote areas to gold mine.
After one of the highlights of your trip(be it from Queenstown) it is now time to head on
to experience even more fabulous country and people...............