Daily Photo: Haast Pass in the Snow

When it comes to New Zealand weather, you really do need to keep your options open. In the blink of an eye, the weather can change from bright sunshine to rain without much warning. This is particularly true of the alpine passes found in the Southern Alps. Although, when I was there, the weather didn’t change from sunshine to rain, but to snow. Heavy, thick snow that stops vehicles and closes roads!

The thing about some New Zealand roads is that they haven’t really ventured too far from the route discovered by some adventurous soul who spent days hacking their way through the bush, presumably because someone else thought it would be a good idea. Take the Haast Pass, for example. The road follows the route explored by well-known geologist Julius von Haast, who led an expedition to find a route from the South Island’s east coast to the west coast. So, in typical European fashion, they named the pass after him, never mind the fact that local Māori had known of a trail through the pass for many years, using it as a hunting and gathering route to access the West Coast!

Nevertheless, this was the route I was travelling as the mist turned to rain, the rain to snow, and the snow to thick snow that brought vehicles to a halt. Such are the joys of motoring in Aotearoa.