Okarito and Makarora
Okarito was another small beach area, actually sitting on a sand-spit above the Tasman Sea. With only 26 permanent residents, "quiet" was an understatement. The streets were undeveloped with a few historic buildings dating back to Okarito's goldmining past. There were no shops, banks or gas stations. There was one motel/beach cottages (we stayed at the Okarito Beach House, owned by Active New Zealand), backpacker accommodations, a campground and several houses for rent.
Our time in Okarito was basically free to do whatever we wished. The guides explained where to go and what to do, and Active New Zealand also had a standing booking with Okarito Nature Tours who operated the sea kayaking here.
ex-Marine and I decided on the independent walks. One to Three Mile lagoon and a smaller one to the Trig station with awesome views of the coast and Southern Alps. The Trig Track led up a steep hill for Alp-viewing to the south and Okarito Lagoon to the north. Less than one hour in each direction.
The Three-Mile Track led along the beach (at low tide only) and through the bush on an easy to follow track, a three-hour walk.
Most of our accommodations on the "Manuka" consisted of little cottages, A-frames, in Queenstown - a two-bedroom house, etc. All very comfortable and spacious.
From here we drove to the Fox Glacier where some of the group walked up the terminal face of the glacier. The Fox Glacier is an enormous river of ice. What is so unusual about it is that it comes down through the rainforest to sea level. (You can read more about Fox Glacier in the prior 1984 articles.)
We spent our time at Fox Glacier taking Hikes A and C (shown above), both easy and enjoyable.
Down to Haast and over the Main Divide at Haast Pass to Makarora for a homestay. The Makarora Wilderness Resort was located right on the edge of Mount Aspiring National Park in a valley. They had private chalet accommodations (we stayed in an A-frame) or you could pitch a tent. (The following photographs are courtesy of Makarora Wilderness Resort.)
The Lodge had a big information center, good food, (extremely friendly owners) and scheduled activities into the Siberia Valley. This was going to be our starting point tomorrow...
