Julius von Haast, a rather ego-centric surveyor who crossed the pass in 1863, shamelessly named the route after himself, despite being beaten to the punch by a gold prospector, Charles Cameron ...

The Haast River boasts some breathtaking scenery. "As the old man would say, we're off like a dog shot in the arse," says Lindsay Kain in classic West-Coast-South-Island-New-Zealand-clipped-drawl.

Haast Beach Surf Guide The Haast area is situated alongside the Mt. Aspiring National Park, in the heart of the South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. This place is breathtakingly beautiful.

Google Maps had shown the trip between Haast and Wānaka would take 10 hours 48 minutes, via Arthur's Pass, Geraldine and Twizel. Related.