Wanaka

Turning inland from the west coast, we headed up gently sloping valleys towards Wanaka in the south central  region (Otago) of the south island.

We stopped for lunch at the far end of the lake from Wanaka, and couldn't get enough of the scenery and lake.

These rocks are all underwater

An endless collection of good skipping stones

Then we arrived in Wanaka, a quiet little town of 5000 people, described as a smaller and more serene version of Queenstown - the touristy "adventure capital" an hour away.  We loved it.  It was just like summer in the Okanagan but with taller mountains, fewer people and a clearer lake.  We decided to stay for a couple of days & relax - and since there was free wifi at our lovely holiday park, to finally do some blogging about New Zealand.

Between our holiday park and the lake - a vineyard.

A stunt plane was doing crazy tricks to welcome us.

Ooo, and that lake - excellent!  A long, stony beach right in front of town with lots of room for everyone, and cold, clear water.  Perfect for refreshing swims.

Yay!

Even Sarah was swimming!

The beach rocks were permeated with shiny minerals.  What else did we do?  Not much.

Had a local beer (and reasonably priced!) beer overlooking the lake.

Watched some live Kiwi music in a chill cafe.

Watched the local sailing club's races while walking home for the night.

Toured the local, family-run brewery near the airport - Wanaka Beer Works.  Oddly, it shares a building with the touristy, kitschy Air and Transport Museum.

Walked some local lakeside parks, watching the local families engage in - gasp - waterskiing!  No, not wake boarding, but honest-to-goodness old school waterskiing like I used to do as a kid.  Cool.

Walked on big stumps.

Went to the rich end of town where the well-off have beautiful new houses with stunning lake views.

An old-school modernist example, but it's nothing but glass in front

Drove down the lake far enough to see the Rob Roy glacier.  (We could have hiked to it, but I don't think HAL was up to 30 km each way of rough gravel road, including a few river fords, that it takes to get to the trailhead.  And he wasn't insured for it either.)

Had a look at the local ski hill, Treble Cone, where the paragliders were out in force.  Yes, you apparently have to drive up the side of this steep mountain via gravel switchbacks to get to the ski hill.  I'm not sure how they do it in winter.

Look at the above photo and tell me that doesn't resemble the Okanagan Valley - I dare you!

We had a wonderful time relaxing and recharging in Wanaka, and we can't recommend it enough if you're on the South Island.  Be sure to get a cheese scone at the Federal Cafe, have a "Brewski" pilsner by Wanaka Beer Works, and go for a swim (though you might want to wait for a few consecutive sunny days first if you're not a fan of cold water).  And the Paradisio Cinema Cafe is extremely cool, though we didn't make it to a movie there.

I can't believe it - this blog is actually up to date again.  Time for a well-deserved beer.  :-)