Wanaka town…a slow start and then a wander into town for some walk reconnaissance at the DOC (Dept. of Conservation) and breakfast – and a little shopping – this is tourist town after all and merino wool outdoor gear abounds.
The town is like all NZ towns we’ve seen – nestled into amazing landscape and full of places exhorting you to eat amazing food, sample a local brew while basking in the lake-(insert local attraction)-side sunshine, jump out of a small aircraft or flyover some dramatic natural feature in a helicopter, tramp through view point after view point, or purchase some local hand carved piece of exquisite art / tramping accessory from the abundant outdoor shops…You know you’re on holiday when…
So we ate brunch at Relishes, purchased a small flask so we could take whiskey coffee on our walk and armed with new maps headed for the Mt Aspiring National park hills. (should mention this is ‘LOTR’ country too) Diamond lake lookout showed off the stunning ‘Rivendell’ peaks, and the walk up to the Wanaka lake lookout was steep and high – but worth it for the view. Then home. Exhausted. Out – till tomorrow.
The Obligatory Blog 