Haast Pass to Lake Paringa

State Highway 6 follows the Haast River down to the Tasman Sea, and then crosses the river on the longest one-way bridge in New Zealand. The bridge is so long (737 meters or 2,400 feet) that it has two passing bays:

The river here is tame. It is hard to believe it is the same river we saw at the Gates of Haast.

Continuing north along the coast we came to this beautiful overlook at Knights Point:

The picture doesn’t convey the weather. While it was not cold (maybe 60 F), there was a heavy, driving rain. This is one of the most scenic spots on the west coast, but we were the only car in the parking lot on this fine afternoon.

Because of the weather we decided not to camp, but to stay at the Lake Paringa Lodge:

Our host was Ken Holliday, and it was wonderful to have a warm, dry place to stay indoors. This was the view from the window in our room, with Lake Paringa through the trees: