Wanaka

On Tuesday morning we awoke to a rainstorm and low hanging clouds obscuring our view of Mt Cook and the surrounding mountains. We went over to the Hermitage for breakfast and learned that overnight there had been an earthquake 50 km off the west coast of NZ that had registered 6.7 on the richter scale. Neither of us had felt it or the aftershocks. The breakfast was a nice continental and the view was still decent despite the clouds. With the rain and clouds we decided not to stay any longer and move on to our next stop.

We drove south and as we left the mountains the rain stopped and the clouds cleared. We drove through Twizel where in the nearby area they filmed the battle of Pellenor Fields for the Lord of the Rings. We drove a little over two hours through rolling countryside to arrive in the small town of Wanaka on the shores of Lake Wanaka. We checked into our charming little lodge and then walked around town. A persistent sprinkle continued and we checked out the small shops and got a quick bite to eat.

With a brief clearing in the weather, we decided to do a hike at nearby Mt Iron. Rising 240 meters from the road, Mt Iron is covered in sheep and mostly grassy. The trail was fairly steep and all uphill. We took it slow and despite the slope Dad was able to keep up as long as he had a few breaks now and again. The trail was a little longer than we had anticipated and after each new hill we thought we were almost there only to find another hill. When we finally reached the top we had a wonderful view of Wanaka, the lake, the valley, and the mountains in the distance. The blustery wind and scattered rain drops couldn't damper our spirits and the satisfaction of climbing the mountain. We walked down the opposite side of the mountain and returned to town.

In the early evening we went to Cinema Paradiso, a quirky movie theatre and cafe. The theatre does not have typical movie seats, but instead has an eclectic mix of couches, easy chairs, and even part of an old car with seats intact. Dad and I picked out an old beater of a couch and settled in to watch Hairspray. It was a quirky movie for a quirky setting. Afterwards, we walked over to a fish restaurant near the lake and had blue cod. We returned back to the hotel in the crisp night air.

Wednesday morning we had a tasty breakfast of pancakes and kiwi fruit. Overnight there had been more small earthquakes and Dad felt one of them. We left the sunny weather of Wanka and drove north into Mt Aspiring National Park and met rain and clouds. We intended to go to a valley walk in the interior of the park and drove a long ways down a dirt road lined with sheep and cows. The rivers were swollen with water from snow melt and the rain and we could see many waterfalls rolling down the mountains. We came to a halt at one stream that crossed the road and there was no bridge. The water was too deep to cross with our car and we had to turn back. Retracing our route, we found another place to hike at Diamond Lake. We followed the trail past the small Diamond Lake and then began the upward climb. The trail was more gradual than the day before, but ultimately we climbed to the same height. At the end of the trail was a fantastic lookout over Lake Wanaka, the mountains, and valley. The wind was intense and was taking the rain sprinkle and pelting us with it. We enjoyed the view for a while before returning back down the trail to the car.

We drove southwest heading to Queenstown and decided to take the shorter route over the mountains. The road was relatively flat and the rain wasn't a problem for the first half of the trip. Then we began gaining elevation and the rain started getting thicker and soon turned to snow. I had not seen snow in nearly two years and now I was driving a twisty mountain road in a blizzard. It was a bit harrowing, but then the road began going back down and the snow turned back into rain. Then there were very steep switchbacks with hairpin turns that I had to negotiate while Dad kept saying what a steep drop it was off the side of the road. We finally reached the valley floor, but it was still pouring.

The Otago region is known for its wines and needing a wet weather activity we decided to tour the Gibbston Valley Winery. We took a tour of their wine cave where they gave us a Riesling, a Pinot Grio, and a Pinot Noir to taste. The had all their Pinot Noirs in large oak barrels they import from France. It's a cold weather region so they do not grow a lot of reds, but their Pinots are excellent due to the chilly winters and hot summers. The wines were great and Dad especially enjoyed himself and decided to buy a Pinot Noir. We left the winery and drove on to Queenstown.

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