27.11.18 Lake Paringa - Wanaka

After a restful night, we wake up to the sound of the Kea, a beautiful but rare bird. It nests near the campsite. We made the plan last night to leave in the morning and go for a walk on a beach where penguins may nest. The 1-hour hike through the rainforest is rewarding and the bay is beautiful even without penguins. They usually nest until November and we probably just missed them.

We enjoy our breakfast at another sunny lookout point with a view of the sea. And there are noticeably fewer sandflies. Our journey continues over the Haast Pass to Wanaka. This is located inland by a lake.

The pass with an elevation of 550 meters is very beautiful and varied. The vegetation on the other side is completely different, much drier, and there is no more rainforest. Wanaka, along with Queenstown, is a tourist hub where you can do all sorts of action and sports activities. We are a bit overwhelmed by the busy hustle and bustle, but we deliberately chose Wanaka because it is supposed to be a bit quieter than Queenstown. We are already at the campsite at 1:30 p.m., a 25-minute walk from the center. We rent brand new bikes at the campsite and ask the nice lady at the reception to recommend a tour. We cycle along the Lake Wanaka shoreline on a trail. Once again, a beautiful lake with snow-capped mountains in the background. We encounter sheep, rabbits, but I find the trail a bit too challenging, so I take the road back, which is also very nice, and Patrick goes full speed....

Since we have a village with so much tourist infrastructure nearby, we decide to spend the evening eating out. In bright sunshine, we enjoy our meal outside. And who is sitting next to us??? Swiss people, it's Felix Blumer from SRF Meteo... and if you're in New Zealand, you have to have the finest lamb, and Patrick has fish and chips. With a delicious ice cream, we head back to the campsite in clear twilight.