Our drive to Wanaka was stunning. Big, lush, green mountains all around us. Beautiful rivers. Waterfalls streaking the sides of the mountains.
We were a little behind schedule, so we skipped most of the main tourist stops along the way. Our first real stop was a hidden gem. You have to really be paying attention to find the pull-off to the small car park hidden behind trees. From there, there’s a tiny path through verdant, jungle-y looking woods. You walk out to a beautiful waterfall. We had it all to ourselves.
Anthony climbed around, finding his way to the top of the waterfall. I, meanwhile, sat there and listened to the waterfall and the birds.
After that, our next stop was the Blue Pools track. This one is very much on the tourist trail, and it was not easy finding a place to park. We got caught behind some slow walkers, bugs biting at us the whole way.
But alas, we made it to the beautiful, crystal clear turquoise water.
Some people jumped from the bridge to the cold water (a very long fall), and others watched and laughed.
We hung out there for awhile before walking back up hill to our car.
At this point, I was finally taking my turn at the wheel and hating it. Driving on the opposite side of the road, I cannot figure out if I’m too far to the right or too far to the left, and it’s rather terrifying when you’re speeding down a highway around bends.
We stopped off at a picnic area, one of our first sights of Lake Wanaka.
We enjoyed an easy lunch of PB&J and fruit while walking down the beach area, the wind practically blowing me backwards and sideways.
The rest of the drive was gorgeous blue lakes and orange mountains everywhere we looked. It was breathtaking.
In Wanaka at last, we immediately went to check in to our campground. Our spot was a bit more secluded at the end of the grounds, with a slight view of the lake and an easy path down to the beach.
We went on down, the sunshine keeping me warm despite the chilly winds.
Anthony decided to take a brisk (/freezing) swim in the water, promptly going numb after hopping in.
From the beach, a walking trail called the Outlet Track started. The path went along the Clutha River, and we day-dreamed about floating down that river instead of walking next to it. Plans were made to move here and start a float trip business.
We headed off to Rippon Winery for a free wine tasting overlooking the lake.
The grounds were gorgeous, the wine tasty. We bought a bottle to enjoy back at our campsite that evening, and then headed back into town.
We also grabbed some burritos to go and brought them back to camp with us to go with our new bottle of wine.
We were up early as usual the following morning, heading out at sunrise to go see That Wanaka Tree.
There’s really nothing to this spot other than a photo opp. A few other people were there with their cameras, all photographing this tree in the soft morning light.
We were supposed to go paragliding that morning, but it was cancelled due to the wind that had blown into town. So, next on the itinerary was a hike.
Most people who come to Wanaka hike Roy’s Peak. The iconic shot at the top is all over Instagram. This is also the location of the infamous shot of the long line people wait in at the top to get that insta-worthy picture. Considering that, and the fact that it is a 6 hour, completely unshaded hike, we opted for a lesser known trail. And when we drove by the car park for Roy’s Peak, already filled with cars at 7am, it reconfirmed our decision.
Instead, we arrived at Rocky Mountain, the second car in the parking lot. It’s a much shorter hike, but it was definitely not easy. It was a very steep climb almost the entire way to the top, with a couple stops for some viewpoints.
Before the summit, there’s a fork in the trail, one path leading out to the lake viewpoint, so we ventured out to it. And wow. The sun was unfortunately right in front of us, but even still, I couldn’t get over how pretty it was.
We sat there awhile, catching our breath, cooling off, taking it all in.
And then back up the mountain we climbed. You could tell not many people continue hiking from that point, as the trail significantly narrowed, thorns and limbs hitting our legs with each step. The terrain got rocky and uneven, the ground eroded on the side of the cliff at parts.
I was hating life for awhile, but we finally reached our new viewpoint, and my suffering was over.
The lakes sparkled, the sheep baa’ed, and I was in heaven.
Five minutes after complaining about how I didn’t want to hike anymore, I was running off down another path to see if it was worth exploring too. It ended up taking us away from the views, so we turned back.
The walk back down was more of a run given how steep it was. Our knees were achy, but it was over fast.
We drove a little bit further down the road, and then came back to town for lunch.
Since our tour was cancelled, we had time to kill, so we went to the lakeside to read and nap. We followed this up with a beer at a bar nearby, and then headed out to our destination for the night.
I had figured we might want a break from camping for one night, to charge up some stuff, do some laundry, and sleep in a real bed, so I booked an AirBnb. A tiny, cozy cabin in a picturesque setting, with a hot tub ideal for star-gazing.
It was perfection.
I took an outdoor shower, we cooked some dinner, and we hung out in the hot tub, staring up at the stars as the clouds moved on.
