Wanaka - The 'town' to leave all one's cares behind

After Franz Josef, another long bus journey awaited us. Now we have left the 'rainforest zone' behind and venture further into the -slightly more barren- mountains. Up to Lake Wanaka! After a long bus ride through an area without any cell phone reception, where you really feel like a drop-out, and we wondered what you would do if you were stranded here off the beaten path and didn't know what to do next. Then the survival boot camp in the New Zealand outbacks begins. Wanaka is a very beautiful place - almost like a spa town - surrounded by a wonderful mountain landscape. For us, it is the most beautiful place we have visited so far. Clear and fresh air, silence, the calm lake, and the landscape invite you to relax. Our hostel, Wanaka Bakpaka, offered us a breathtaking view of the lake and the mountain landscape. In the hostel itself, we even met German tourists from Mannheim, Heppenheim, and Laudenbach! How small the world really is. The place itself offers many small nice shops with a cozy atmosphere. Built completely differently than in Germany, and therefore a bit of a pity from our point of view that there is nothing like this to see at home. At the lakeside, we even saw the famous tree - yes, it is really called that, and it is a small tree that normally grows out of the lake, but now stood on the lakeshore due to the season and the lack of glacier water - and took beautiful photos. Memo: Our professional postcard set will be available after our trip, the price will be announced later :P The location at the tree is apparently so well-known that Kevin even witnessed a marriage proposal at this spot during his morning jog! In Wanaka, we spent our time playing frisbee golf. It is highly recommended and a lot of fun. In good weather, we hiked up to the viewpoint Roys Peak, which is on the must-see list of all tourists and offers a breathtaking view over Lake Wanaka and the mountain landscape, all the way to Mount Aspiring with its snow-covered peak. On the South Island, due to the low population density (few artificial lights) and the pure air, it is possible to observe a wonderful starry sky from many places, which even allowed us to see the Milky Way with the naked eye. With a good book in hand, playing cards, and not having to go on a 30-40km walk, we spent the rest of our time here.