Hiking in a postcard-perfect setting! - Wanaka

04/11 - 06/11

Just an hour away from Queenstown is the small town of Wanaka. We set off there with our cool rental car. Yes, that's right, we are now proud owners of a rental car and completely independent from public transportation!





We can overlook the color of the car and the first two letters of the license plate, as it is such a wonderful feeling to be able to drive anywhere anytime! :)

Since Wanaka, we have become almost self-sufficient. We buy groceries at the supermarket and cook our meals in the communal kitchen at the hostel. The time in Queenstown, where we ate out almost three times a day, cost us so much money that we can't afford or even want to do that for the next few days or weeks in New Zealand.

Unfortunately, the weather deteriorated significantly after arriving in Wanaka: it became quite cold and rained almost continuously. This forced us to find ways to pass the first two days. So we either lounged around in the hostel or went to a café in town. In principle, it wouldn't be such a bad thing to spend some time in a more relaxed manner, especially since we didn't skimp on activities in the past few days. However, the New Zealanders are not big on heating - it was so incredibly cold everywhere, we could only stay warm by dressing layered and drinking tea or coffee.

On the second evening, we were already a bit bored and the hostel's Wi-Fi was a disaster, so we decided to go to the movies. Opposite our hostel, there is a small cinema called 'Cinema Paradiso', known for its homemade cookies. We watched 'Kingsman - The Golden Circle' in a theater with sofas instead of chairs, beer instead of soft drinks, and cookies instead of popcorn - a very pleasant combination!





The following day turned out to be much better weather-wise, so we decided to go on a day hike. Luki once again did some great research and discovered the 'Isthmus Track' near Wanaka. The hiking trail proved to be quite steep and therefore relatively challenging most of the time. We hiked 1,000 meters in altitude over a distance of 8 km. But the panorama at the highest point - Isthmus Peak at 1,386 meters - was worth every effort. There were two lakes to see: Lake Wanaka on the left and Lake Hawea on the right.









However, it was incredibly windy up there, so we didn't stay at the summit for long. We quickly had a snack and then made our way back down. Almost at the starting point, we heard a lamb very loudly 'baaaaa'. It was standing all alone in a small wooded area and seemed to be extremely unhappy about it. I thought I'd try to help the little sheep and guide it back to the other sheep - and it actually worked. It followed me and responded to my hand signals. I was quite proud! :)



When we finally reached the car, we were quite exhausted, but we didn't want to go back to the hostel just yet. So we spontaneously decided to take a short road trip to the West Coast. 160 km and 1.5 hours later, we found ourselves in Haast by the sea.





Well...to be honest, we could have saved ourselves the trip for this sight - rough sea and gusts of wind at who knows how many km/h. But just the feeling of driving made the trip worthwhile. It's so much fun to cruise around New Zealand by car - the winding roads, hardly any traffic, and postcard-like panoramas make it a great experience!

In conclusion:

Wanaka is actually like Queenstown, just smaller and less touristy. Both places are located on crystal-clear mountain lakes and are surrounded by stunning mountain scenery. The day hike was incredibly beautiful, but now it's time for some variety again.

By now, we have mentally adjusted to the traveler mode, and we can't imagine going to work right now. The fatigue from traveling in the first few days/weeks has subsided a bit, and we have found our - let's call it - 'travel rhythm'. We are trying to maintain a satisfying balance between active and relaxing phases.

Hasta pronto!

E&L

>> Next stop: Dunedin <<