We had heavy rain overnight,buffeting the van and I was hoping the canvas on our pop-top was waterproof. But in the morning it cleared and we were on our way along the haast pass.

We stopped at the roaring billy waterfall which was a short walk through the bush. At the end of the bush it opened up onto a wide river bed. There were loads of neat shaped and coloured rocks. It was a gorgeous spot surrounded by mountains. On the other side of the river was an impressing waterfall cascading down the mountain.

We continued our drive, stopping off at little spots to admire the river and surrounding mountains. It really was a beautiful drive. A bit further on was another waterfall. It was only a 5 minute walk to this one, which was a skinny waterfall spilling out of the mountain.

We were going to stop at the blue pools, but the carpark was full so we skipped it and continued. The drive beside Lake Wanaka was as beautiful as I remembered, but the real wow factor was when we reached Lake Hawea. The views of the beautiful blue water from above was incredible, and I probably too more footage than I should have.

We arrived at the camping ground in Lake Hawea and decided to stay and catch up with Susan and Gary. They had no powered sites left, so we found a gorgeous non-powered spot overlooking the lake.

Susan and Gary arrived just after us, and we had a burger at the on-site camp restaurant. It was delicious.