Lake Wanaka

The day we left Franz Josef was a very early start, leaving on the bus at about 7am. We were headed to Lake Wanaka for our next overnight stay, but we had plenty of stops to make en route, so it was going to be a busy day for all the right reasons.

The first stop was a very foggy and ABSOLUTELY freezing walk to see Lake Matheson. It was still very early so we all had to wrap up warm in our finest winter garments, and well worth leaving the warmth of the bus to see. Archie even put on some socks with his flip flops. Strong look.

The walk was very quiet and peaceful, and when we got to the lake itself, we saw the definition of a perfect mirror lake, with Mount Cook sat domineeringly in the middle as a backdrop.

Mt Cook in all its glory.

We stayed for a while taking pictures and soaking in the sights, before heading back to have some breakfast in a lovely little cafe, that looked out onto the serene mountains.

As we carried on driving we stopped at another natural wonder, Thunder Creek, a strikingly tall waterfall that cast a lovely rainbow just for us! It was just off a main road hidden down a path just 2 minutes away from the walk. If you didn't know it was there you would have no inclination to stop, but luckily Mangee knew all the top sights. What a lovely hidden gem. 

We were so lucky with the weather, it was clear, crisp and sunny but still extremely fresh. Mangee explained that as we came into Wanaka, we would see some of the most beautiful and impressive lakes.

We stopped for every photo opportunity imaginable to take in the breath taking scenery.

Once we reached the town near Lake Wanaka, we stayed at another Base hostel and went to the local shop to buy food supplies. There was an old fashioned cinema near by that served delicious cookies in the interval, so a few people spent the afternoon there. 

Our group of buddies decided to walk down to the lake and see it just as the sun was going down. A thick cloud was moving in over Wanaka, so it was hard to see the sun set through it.

Nevertheless we were happy that we had been able to see the large lake before we went to bed, as we would be leaving the following day.

The next morning, there was a flurry of excitement, as the large thick cloud over Wanaka had dumped loads of snow over night! We all reverted back to children and were having snowball fights whilst Mangee tried to keep his calm for the drive to Queenstown ahead.

Whilst Mangee made various phone calls to find out about closed roads, we ran back down to the lake to see a completely different scene to what we had seen the day before. Everything was completely white, and it made the surrounding mountains look even more spectacular.

Before we left for Queenstown, there was one last stop to make in Wanaka, and that was the kiwi experience trip to puzzling world, a centre dedicated to optical illusions and all things confusing.

There is usually another option to climb Mount Iron (a small mountain next to the town and lake) where, apparently you can get some great views of  Wanaka. We had decided the day before that we were keen to do the walk as not only was the natural beauty of New Zealand the reason we came but also it was free and active. Whats better than that? Despite this, we obviously hadn't anticipated  the snow, so this meant the walking trail was closed and too treacherous so wasn't an option for us today!

So... it was all aboard the bus to puzzling world to hold tight until Mangee got word of a safe route out of Wanaka.

Puzzling World is an optional activity on the Kiwi Experience for just $10 entry fee, Although we would have loved to have gone in for such a cheap price, we really were watching our money at this point, and trying to budget for a Milford Sound add on, so we decided we would give it a miss.

Instead, they had a lovely little cafe area that was filled with mind bending games and challenges, so we sat down had a hot chocolate, kept warm and got absolutely bamboozled by the array of games on show.

Deep thought

Glory

Whilst we sat getting increasingly confused, some of the others had a go at the outdoor maze, and also took some great pictures of the optical illusions they encountered.

Although we didn't go inside, the toilet for puzzling world was something not to be missed, as you enter you get the shock of your life seeing the illusion of a medieval toilet house.

Iqra having a poo

After puzzling world, Mangee had been given the all clear that the usual route to Queenstown was okay, so we got on the bus and left snowy Wanaka behind. Mangee was in good spirits and played christmassy themed songs for the whole journey (despite it being May), including Frozen's 'Let It Go' which Steph and the other girls were overwhelmed with. Tom and Mark pretended they weren't enjoying it but there was a clear glint in their eyes.

En route we stopped at a little independent farm shop where we had the opportunity to buy some fresh fruit and veggies, wholesome snacks and an assortment of ice cream and frozen yoghurts (not ideal weather for frozen foods but it was Mangee's recommendation, and we never questioned him). We stocked up, gave ourselves a brain freeze and carried on our way to Queenstown.