Haast

We had an awful night. We couldn´t sleep because the guy next door had been snoring all night like a lion, as if he was warning other lions to stay away from his pride. A few times I wanted to wake him up to tell him I wasn´t interested in his chicks but I tried headphone music instead. I am rather awake by noise that I have chosen myself, rather than the horrible sounds of this guy´s undergrounds.

At 05.30, Ella started to cry because the sandfly bites started to itch so much, the poor wee girl was in agony. I finally caught some sleep and when we woke up it was 09.30, too late to get prepared for the road. We decided to stay, which in hindsight was not such a bad thing as we could now relax before starting the Haast Pass.

The Haast Pass is the lowest pass over the Alps but we are still quite nervous about it because it is a 60 km long ascent. The first 45 km consist of a gradual climb which will take us to Pleasant Flat and then I guess it´ll turn into Awkward Steep. Who invents these names? “I live in Pleasant Flat”? I am worried that I will not be able to tow the trolley all the way to the top but I am going to give it a try. Vanessa loves the mountains so by the time I am finished climbing she´ll be having a coffee again

We will have no mobile reception or internet until we get to Wanaka.