Haast Pass
Haast Pass
4.5
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Haast Pass is a beautiful scenic drive that leads to the West Coast.
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4.5
162 reviews
Excellent
102
Very good
48
Average
10
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Clive R
Tauranga, New Zealand21 contributions
Nov 2022 • Couples
If you want some down time before venturing further, then Haast is the place for down-time, a lovely scenic bike ride or a cold beer or wine at the local Pub 'The Hard Antler'. If you are looking for resort styled 5 star waited on hand and foot treatment than Haast isn't for you. It is for a genuine untouch place to just lay back and take the stress of kind of place with very friendly welcoming locals AA++
Written 12 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jacques
Auckland Central, New Zealand14 contributions
Jul 2021
We drove from Queenstpwn to Franz Josef in a day, stopping a myriad times to take photo's of the amazing scenery. So many reviews talk about the wonderful waterfalls, but the views of snowcapped peaks across the lakes are amazing. The Fantail and Thunder Creek Falls are great spots, just 5 mins walk from the road. REcommend to depoart Queenstown early, to allow enough time to enjoy the trip. Sunset was beautiful across the sea, shining onto the mountains. Highly recommend !
Written 16 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rachael j
19 contributions
Jan 2024 • Family
The Heritage motel we stayed at was a disgrace. The room needed a complete make over. The sand flies were so horrendous we wished we never stayed .
The scenery is lovely but take heaps of mosquito spray.
The scenery is lovely but take heaps of mosquito spray.
Written 30 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James M
Auckland, New Zealand423 contributions
Dec 2019
This is a beautiful drive my lovely wife and I did when travelling recently from Wanaka to Jacksons Bay. Take your time; the roads twist and turn. Stop for photos and relish the views. Thoroughly recommended!
Written 6 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andy F
Devizes, UK1,397 contributions
Apr 2023 • Friends
We climbed through here on a large holiday coach. All I can say is that I'm extremely glad not to have been the one doing the driving! The road really twists and turns through some heart-stopping hairpins up and down the gorge. The scenery is totally spectacular. There are occasional stopping/ viewing points, but there's not too much space. Wonderful.
Written 8 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hemolula
Galway, Ireland114 contributions
Nov 2015 • Couples
You will find a lot of people to attempt to do this drive and yes - it is one of the most amazing scenic drives in the world.
We have done this drive on a lovely spring day starting from Queenstown and here are some tips i think you should know about the whole route.
Fuel up in the morning so you won't have think about it later!
If you just want to drive it, with one or no stops on the way it will take you around 5h to complete it. Roads are great in general but twisty on few occasions. Not much traffic either. You just might want to be careful with your speed as the temperatures varies a lot (we had a range from -1 to +17 deg. cels. along the way!!).
To fully enjoy your trip be prepared to spare extra 4-5h for the stops. The list is huge - when planning this trip pick whatever suites your needs. If you have a whole day to do this drive its even better. I am going to mention only few stops (musts) like That tree in Wanaka, The Blue Pools, Thunder Creek Falls, Gates of Haast, Sheep's Creek and Knight's Point Lookout.
So do yourself a favor and leave Queenstown as early as you possibly can and you won't regret it!!
We have done this drive on a lovely spring day starting from Queenstown and here are some tips i think you should know about the whole route.
Fuel up in the morning so you won't have think about it later!
If you just want to drive it, with one or no stops on the way it will take you around 5h to complete it. Roads are great in general but twisty on few occasions. Not much traffic either. You just might want to be careful with your speed as the temperatures varies a lot (we had a range from -1 to +17 deg. cels. along the way!!).
To fully enjoy your trip be prepared to spare extra 4-5h for the stops. The list is huge - when planning this trip pick whatever suites your needs. If you have a whole day to do this drive its even better. I am going to mention only few stops (musts) like That tree in Wanaka, The Blue Pools, Thunder Creek Falls, Gates of Haast, Sheep's Creek and Knight's Point Lookout.
So do yourself a favor and leave Queenstown as early as you possibly can and you won't regret it!!
Written 13 July 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hey_miss_sj
Picton, New Zealand36 contributions
Oct 2014
At the bottom of the South Island's West coast you will find the lowest pass over the Southern Alps, the Haast Pass. This road links the West Coast with the popular tourist towns of Wanaka and Queenstown. We drove over it for the first time on a wet west coast rainy day but were still blown away by the misty mountains and the beauty they unveiled around each corner. I suggest allowing plenty of time to cover the Haast Pass as there are short walks along the way which are definitely worth doing even in the rain!! Make sure u stop at the Roaring Billy Falls as they are an impressive sight, just be careful u don't drive past them like we did! The Gates of Haast are definitely worth a photo as the river rushes through huge rocky outcrops.the torrential rain seemed to add to the magic of the sight. Further on there are two waterfalls on the side of the rd, aptly named Trickle 1 and Trickle 2. However the day we went through it was a lot more than a trickle and an impressive sight from the car! Don't forget to visit the blue pools on the Wanaka side of the Haast Pass. It's definitely worth the little walk to view the clarity in the water, u can even see fish swimming around on a good day. We were surprised just on how clear the water really is! Once u get out into the Makarora valley u really notice the difference in vegetation between the West Coast and Central NZ! All in all a really beautiful drive.
Written 4 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JayJay015
Melbourne, Australia314 contributions
Aug 2014 • Family
We really enjoyed this drive - beginning with Roaring Billy Falls which is the first stop when coming from Haast. Signposted but you don't see it until you are upon it, so keep an eye out. A beautiful place to stop, a 10 minute walk through thick rainforest opening up to a wide river bed and turquoise river. The falls are across the river, small but loud! Our next stop was Thunder Creek Falls which apparently is one of the most popular, but for us no one else was there. Absolutely stunning, serene and peaceful and the patterns on rocks are amazing. Past the Diana Falls slip, prepare for a wait if you are there in the near future, make sure you stop at Cameron Flat and admire the view. A couple of mins drive to Blue Pools for a 20 min walk to some swing bridges and more amazing turquoise pools. Then the amazing drive past Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea - wow!! A stunning landscape. If you want to stop properly at these places you will need about 5-6 hours to get from Haast to Wanaka, but it's worth it!
Written 14 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
oldshep
New Zealand18 contributions
Feb 2014 • Family
Travelling on SH6 between Wanaka and Haast or vice versa approx 1 hr going north on the left OR just over an hour going south on the right is the scenic attraction known as the 'Blue Pools'
Plenty of vehicle parking (on left traveling south) is the well signed entrance. A pleasant walk through natural bush with good wooden walkways when needed. Listen for the bird population especially if early morning. A new suspension bridge over the river and see the Blue/Aqua Pools. A second bridge takes you over the second pool you can also walk down for a paddle.. (rather cold) For an extra 1 hour on your journey (40 mins in a hurry) this easily got to attraction should be a must for ALL tourist. Even on a wet day because the walk is mainly under bush it is well worth the trip.
Plenty of vehicle parking (on left traveling south) is the well signed entrance. A pleasant walk through natural bush with good wooden walkways when needed. Listen for the bird population especially if early morning. A new suspension bridge over the river and see the Blue/Aqua Pools. A second bridge takes you over the second pool you can also walk down for a paddle.. (rather cold) For an extra 1 hour on your journey (40 mins in a hurry) this easily got to attraction should be a must for ALL tourist. Even on a wet day because the walk is mainly under bush it is well worth the trip.
Written 5 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wanderlustvani
Indiana1,376 contributions
Dec 2017 • Family
I think NZ is a beautiful country, especially the South Island is so pretty every where you look but the Haast Pass Drive takes the cake for the best road trip. Every turn seems to bring in beautiful vistas and every bit of the drive looked like a beautiful painting. Even the dead limbs on the beaches seemed purposeful. We stopped by at Lake Matheson, Thunder Creek falls, Blue Pools, Ship Wreck beach and Bruce Creek seal colony on our way from Fran Josef to Wanaka. It was cloudy so couldn’t see any reflection in lake Matheson but we saw couple of mirror lakes later on in our trip. Dolphins were just jumping around at Ship Wreck beach. It was a wonderful day. Loved climbing the rocks at Thunder Creek. Take it slow and enjoy the drive.
Written 7 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi,
I will have two children with me in drive from Wanaka to Haast, and I was thinking of doing the walk to the Blue pool. My children are athletic but get tired, as they are still quite little. I was thinking of taking an umbrella stroller for each of them (smaller stroller, so easy to lug them around in the car). Is the walk to the blue pools paved? Is it comfortable to take the children on the blue pools walk in the stroller?
Thanks,
Kamran.
Written 3 December 2015
The walk is not very long, I did it in about 5 minutes as a fast walker. A stroll i think would only take 15 minutes. It's not paved but there is a defined track that you could bring a stroller on, however the swing bridges over to the pools might not be wide enough.
If you're comfortable leaving it at the bridges (which you'd probably have to anyway as right down by the water there are stairs and lots of rocks) then I'd suggest that, but you could take your time doing the walk and not get the little ones too tired.
Written 30 September 2017
Hello Charlie H,
I see that you went to NZ this May.
I am planning to go next May.
May I know whether it was snowing during your trip?
Thanks
Written 14 October 2015
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