27.12.2017 - Wanaka, the 1st day

Wanaka = flashed by nature

Good morning Jo, did you sleep well after the long car ride yesterday?
After breakfast, we set off to explore Wanaka. First, we took a boat out on the lake. Our skipper Michael was speaking New Zealand slang again...
Mary-People, who are Maori-People, and we sailed on the leg (lake). But the leg was wow! Mountains, glaciers, islands. Everything all at once and a sky that was as blue as can be.

An interesting sight is a small island in Lake Wanaka, which is still densely forested unlike the rest of the surroundings. The island called Mou Tapu (freely translated: sacred to you) is one of 4 islands and has remained untouched for the past 400 years - no other historical records exist for New Zealand. As the skipper told us, the gold rush, as mentioned yesterday, ended not only because of the declining gold deposits but also due to the lack of construction, heating, and cooking materials, namely wood. Within 10 years, the gold miners had cut down all the forests around except for this island, as it was considered sacred by the Mouri people. Today, you can still find rare insects and plants there that are already extinct elsewhere. Entry to the island is still prohibited.

After the boat tour, we walked to the tree in Lake Wanaka. One of the most photographed spots in Wanaka. Of course, we had to get a picture as well. Proof, see photo.

Afterwards, we decided to take a short walk along the lake. It accidentally turned out to be a bit longer. I gave up after 10 km and Jo walked the remaining 5 km and picked me up by car. But the scenery during the hike was amazing.

For a change, Jo cooked today. We had a delicious quiche. He's great at operating the microwave ;-).