Haast Pass - Isthmus Peak - Wānaka

Over the Haast Pass, I drove back inland and wanted to take my time for the various waterfalls along the way, which Markus and I had only passed by before. I had given the Roaring Billy and the Fantail Falls a chance, but there were just so many sandflies that I could only quickly take a few photos before heading back to the car. As soon as I stopped for a moment, I was already covered in sandflies...

Wilson Creek was a recommendation from Toa, the heli-hike guide. It wasn't exactly a hidden gem as he described, but at least there were no sandflies there. It was really worth wading through the icy water for a bit to reach the spot with the huge, collapsed boulders.

In the afternoon, I took a hike up Isthmus Peak, which was a recommendation from Kate. During the hike, I realized how rushed I had been in the past weeks and that I mainly wanted to quickly reach the summit instead of enjoying the view along the way. The scenery, especially the view first of Lake Hāwea and later of Lake Wānaka, was so beautiful!

I stayed on the summit for quite a while and was able to observe rabbits, sheep, and deer on the way down. I also decided to spend the night at Lake Hāwea instead of driving on to Wānaka so I could do the next hike at sunrise.

This was the right decision because I needed to chill for a bit, and there's no better place to do that than the beach at Wānaka! The next day, I parked directly at the beach, laid down in the car with the trunk open (it was quite cool due to the wind, but the sun was shining so intensely), and read. During the three days I was there, I also swam in Lake Wānaka twice, which I had to really push myself to do because of the water temperature. For comparison: Most Kiwis wear a wetsuit when swimming.

Wānaka has two other 'attractions': That Wānaka Tree and Roys Peak. That Wānaka Tree is a willow that grows all alone in the lake and is probably New Zealand's most photographed tree. I overheard a conversation between two women at a city map:
Woman 1: 'I'm looking for That Wānaka Tree but I can't find it.'
Woman 2: 'Don't look for the tree, look for the people.'
How right she was...

Roys Peak is quite a strenuous hike, mostly uphill for three hours, and is usually done at sunrise. Of course, I also set out in the dark to be at the top for sunrise, and it was definitely worth it! Even though it was incredibly cold at the summit until the sun came up. I was so glad I packed warm clothes, even though I started in a t-shirt down below.

As most people had already started heading back down after the sunrise, a young woman excitedly asked me if I could take a photo of her and her boyfriend. 'He just asked me to marry him.' Apparently, she only had to wait 9 years for that :D