Day 18 - Kayaking and Queenstown

On our second to last day here in New Zealand, we had some more movement planned. Yesterday at Roy's Peak, it was the legs' turn (by the way, I can still walk) and today we focused on our arms and shoulders. We went kayaking on Lake Wanaka.

So again we left the house on time at 8:30. Since Lake Wanaka is right near Wanaka, it was only a 5-minute drive to our destination. A staff member from the organizer was already waiting at the shore, who gave us an initial briefing and had us sign the usage regulations. After being briefed, we were given waterproof bags, life jackets, and a ride to the starting point of our kayak tour. The friendly driver engaged us in some small talk and told us that there are a lot more tourists than residents in this area. Next year, it is even expected that more tourists will come to New Zealand (5 million) than there are residents in the whole country (~4.8 million). But she said she is glad about that because she can continue doing her great job.

After about 15 minutes of driving, we reached our destination, received a map, directions, and our paddles, and were ready to set off.

So we got into our double kayak and were pushed into the lake. Being completely on our own, we paddled towards a nearby small island. At first, it was more paddling left and right instead of straight ahead, but over time we got the hang of it and reached the island. Of course, we immediately claimed it for ourselves.

After that, we continued towards the starting harbor. Because our tour was set up in a way that we would be dropped off somewhere and from there (with directions and a map) paddle back to the starting point. We immediately started on that. But since we had enough time, we made some stops at different beaches or in the middle of the lake and enjoyed the views.

Even with this amazing weather, we were incredibly glad about our waterproof clothing again. Because (possibly due to our technique) we regularly splashed ourselves with the paddles, which would have completely soaked normal clothes in a short time. But we were floating on the lake completely dry. During the tour, we also passed by Roy's Peak and wondered which path we had hiked up and where the social media spot on the mountain was supposed to be. We then came to the conclusion that we had no idea and just kept paddling. Along the way, we passed another island, saw a jetski rider, and (being mean as we are) amused ourselves about other less successful paddlers.

After a total of about 3 hours of paddling time (including our extensive breaks), we reached the destination, or rather the starting point, of the tour. We got off the water, returned the rental items, and treated ourselves to a good lunch, enjoying our achievement. Good local cuisine from 'Subway'.

With full stomachs, we then headed to Queenstown, our last stop before returning to Auckland tomorrow.

Queenstown is ahead of us on the horizon

Now we are here in our accommodation, already prepared our suitcases for tomorrow's flight, and wait for it to get a little later... Because on our last evening on the South Island, we will get to know a few pubs here. In this sense: Cheers!