We drove further south on Highway 6 from Franz Josef to Makarora today.
First we stocked up on groceries for the next couple days at the local Four Square. The selection was small but worked well to source a couple dinners, including lots of fruit and vegetables. Our first use of our Esky (the brand name of coolers here, it’s so popular that the brand name has become synonymous with coolers, like Kleenex) and freezer packs that we had bought at Bunnings (a Home Depot equivalent in NZ) just outside the Christchurch airport.
The drive south on Highway 6 was spectacular yet again. We followed the Tasman Sea coast for most of the day before turning inland at Haast. We stopped at a few of the well-marked viewpoints (there’s markers 5km, 2km and 400m leading up to the viewpoints). Our favourite was Dune Lake lookout, which had a two-storey lookout tower you can climb for better views of the sand dunes. Also stopped at Fantail Falls, and walked to the Jetty Lookout at Matheson Park (there was a slight breeze and so no reflection of the peaks in the distance).
We arrived at Wild Earth Lodge in Makarora around 5pm. The lodge is one of our favourite places ever that we’ve stayed at. The backyard faced out to a large sheep grazing farm, and beyond that the Wilkin River and Mount Aspiring NP.
Sorted ourselves out, and then started on dinner. The bbq was a full grilling plate, rather than grilled. I did the salmon on the bbq, and Heather took care of the asparagus and potatoes. A little browned butter with caper sauce for the salmon, it was just like at home! Except the salmon was local - we will sometimes buy King Salmon at our local fishmonger in Toronto, sourced from NZ.
Finished off the wine lounging on the deck watching the sunset. One of the best outdoor decks we’ve had that could actually be enjoyed, with no bugs and a comfortable 15C.
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