Queenstown to Haast. Thursday 24th February. 262 kms

We were both glad to leave Queenstown, overpriced and overrated in our opinion. I suppose for younger people who want the adventure that it promises coupled with a lively night life it is OK but in reality I found that the mass tourism that it attracts has seriously detracted from the natural beauty of the area. Our first stop was at the Kawarau gorge suspension bridge which was completed in 1880. However, by the mid twentieth century modern traffic requirements were over and above the capacity of the aging single-lane bridge, and therefore it was replaced by a new highway bridge in 1963. In 1980s the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge was given a new lease on life when it became the site of the first commercial bungy jump in the world,We spent quite some time there, watching the brave (or stupid!) souls dive off the bridge towards the river below. When they had stopped bouncing up and down, headfirst, over the river they were pulled into a small boat and deposited at the bottom of steps leading back up to the shop/reception area. Neither of us felt the urgej to copy them so we left them to it and drove off towards Lake Wanaka where we stopped for lunch. More amazing scenery on the road to Haast and at some point in the afternoon we pulled over to make a cup of tea. I soon noticed that we had now entered sand fly country as the little blighters almost swarmed into the van as soon as we opened it up. They are notorious in New Zealand and are prevalent throughout the west coast area. From now on until we get up north we shall have to be careful about opening up the van. We are prepared with repellent and insect bite cream and I have learned to wear socks and long sleeves which is a great help.At Haast we stayed at the Haast Lodge motor camp. It was a really good site and had the benefit of a large/lounge kitchen where we could relax and prepare our meal. Doubly beneficial as the sand flies made opening up the van a bit of a problem. We met a couple from Lancashire who were doing the trip the opposite way round to us. They had been on the outskirts of Christchurch when the earthquake struck and had been very lucky to escape harm as their van was rocked from side to side. Luckily he had the sense to "get the hell out" as he put it but she didn't seem to have taken in how close to disaster that they had been.