To Lake Hawea + Kea Rescued from West Coast Crevasse

A warm front blew into Arrowtown last night and we awoke to 50F, departed this morning, and en route the rains came.

Art did a masterful job driving in the wet and high winds. At one point after I made this picture it looked like we were in a car wash, crazy winds blowing water from every direction.

Kawarau Gorge

 Lake Hawea

Lake Hawea runs parallel to Lake Wanaka, both magnificent glacier carvings. We unhooked and set up the caravan in a drenching rain, never ideal, but quickly realized it was the first time in nearly six months we'd had to do so. This picture from the shores of our campground just as the rains were quieting.

Here's our route today (click here to view if reading in email). If you pull out on the map you'll see we're ultimately heading north to NZ's wild (and insanely beloved) west coast, though tomorrow we'll focus on more prosaic concerns like visiting the organic store in Wanaka to get provisions for the road ahead.

Kea Rescue

The kea is endemic to New Zealand and the only true alpine parrot in the world. (File photo via)

This is a sweet story.

Read more here...

A glacier guiding crew saved a kea from death after it was stuck in an icy crevasse on the West Coast for three days. The rescuers tried to use ropes, ladders and ice to save the native bird, but it took a backpack to bring it to safety.

"We tried to lower stuff down, like a little basket for it to get into, but it was not very keen. 

That day, they saw about 15 kea hopping around the edge of the crevasse, looking out for their stuck friend.