13/04/2018 - For the 3rd time in Wanaka

The first day in "Wanaka" started with frosted Hightown kiwis. The temperatures were freezing at night - the surrounding mountains woke up with a white cap.
We took the morning easy. We used the campground's vacuum cleaner system (again) to clean the car. The many trips on the gravel road not only cover the car in dust from the outside. However, the weather annoyed us. We were just unloading the car when it suddenly started to rain. But the blue sky was not far away. So I sat down with an umbrella next to the already unpacked boxes to protect them. The shower passed and we could continue working. But the next one didn't take long, which is why the procedure took three quarters of an hour.
The car was somewhat clean again, so we devoted ourselves to planning the rest of the route.

Roughly speaking: We will go up the east coast of the South Island, with stops in "Christchurch" and "Kaikoura".

In the afternoon, we once again went to the city center of Wanaka. First, we visited the supermarket. Here we replenished our supplies according to the meal plan. Then we walked through a small weekly market. Or should we say tiny, with only four stands? The sun began to set behind "Lake Wanaka" and we drove back to the campground. Various vegetables ended up on the grill for dinner. In addition to grilled parsnips, carrots, eggplants, and peppers, we had hummus as a base for the wrap filling. As a small, exquisite topping, we had steak that evening. Yummy!
Fortunately, there were several heat lamps in the open BBQ area. So we could enjoy the feast despite the cold outside temperature. :)

For today we planned one last hike in Wanaka. We started the walking track around 10 a.m. Right at the beginning, it went steep uphill. After 15 minutes, we reached "Diamond Lake". The lakeshore and its yellow-colored trees emphasized the advancing autumn atmosphere. But today there was no cold, rainy autumn day - but a golden one. :)
We continued following the route, which led up a mountain. After 25 minutes, we arrived at the first lookout. The view over the lake and the surrounding, partly snow-covered mountains was very beautiful. After reaching this milestone, the hiking trail split. The east and west routes both climbed higher - to the "Rocky Mountains". We decided to take the east route because it included another lookout. We reached it after about 20 minutes. It offered a fantastic view of "Lake Wanaka". A small wooden bench invited us to linger.
Back on the marked path, we continued climbing up the mountains. From here on, the track was more bad than good. Due to small landslides, parts of the trail were buried or even washed away. Nevertheless, we fought our way up with small breaks. By now, the naming was clear - it was quite rocky around the summit... ;)
The panorama from the top was impressive! No matter where we looked - every perspective offered something new. Beautiful blue lakes on one side and tall, snow-covered peaks on the other. Besides taking a few photos, we recorded a short video to capture the dimensions and beauty of this landscape. Then we descended via the west route. The path was similarly steep and at times even more adventurous. Due to the rain in the past days, some sections were very muddy and slippery. The hikers coming towards us had significantly bigger problems than we did.
After a total of three hours, we safely and exhaustedly reached the car. Still on the same day, we said our final goodbye to the wonderful Wanaka and continued to the highest mountain in New Zealand. Arriving at our favorite campground, we secured an amazing spot. From the bed, we had a perfect view of "Mount Cook". Luckily, hardly any clouds moved in throughout the rest of the day, so we could enjoy an unrestricted view of the majestic mountain.