Wonderland Lodge

After I packed my things in Wanaka, did all the laundry and bought enough supplies to survive for the next few days on the West Coast, I drove towards Haast. The plan was initially to meet up with Theo again and to tackle the Brewster Hut hiking trail together the following day. However, as usual, things turned out differently…

Upon arriving in the evening, we both had a lot to talk about, we cooked and enjoyed a good glass of wine together. However, the next morning, as had already been hinted at, the weather spoiled our plans. So we only checked out the waterfalls and the “Wilson Creek Chasm,” a beautifully hidden spot that was hard to find. After that, we were uncertain about what to do next. Theo actually needed work, and I wanted to head north along the West Coast from the direction where Theo came from. But due to the bad weather, I had to wait anyway until I could go on my planned skydiving jump.

So we headed to the nearest campsite, but it was too expensive there, which led us to the “Wonderland Lodge.” Once there, we encountered Louis and Armin, whom we already knew vaguely from the North Island. Fortunately, both of them worked there, which allowed us to get food and drinks at a discount and camp for free at the campsite, which even had a pool. Louis even managed to get Theo a job, so things couldn't have gone better. In the afternoon, we chilled by the pool and enjoyed our first beers. In the evening, we celebrated with Louis, Armin, and the rest of the crew at the Bottom Lodge.

The next day, we focused on combating boredom due to the still imperfect weather. We hitchhiked to Wanaka to save gas and to play billiards and darts at a bar, as well as to do some shopping. Two friendly Australian siblings took us along. On the way back, a family man who lives in Makarora picked us up. We had great conversations and even received a free beer, so my first hitchhiking experience was a solid A.