We are now in the very beautiful lake Wanaka, enjoying the sunshine and scenery. We drove here from Queenstown via the scenic route of Crown range which was a large expanse of mountains where we could marvel at the views in the valleys in between.
Wanaka itself is smaller than Queenstown but has a similar feel to it, set around a lake with numerous bars and restaurants lining the streets to relax and take in the view. We chose a campsite just out of town with good facilities and is set by another lovely lake, which we have strolled along. The weather is really great in the sun, but is still quite nippy in the shade. The clear blue skies in the day also mean some chilly nights, but I think we are getting used to it and layering up!
On Friday we drove about an hour out of town into the Mount Aspiring national park. After some confusion with which track to take, Ruth and Jade spent the day walking/wading through rivers to the Aspiring hut and along the tracks towards some of the mountain trails and took on cows, while Sally and I took the intended trail up and around a mountainside to the glacier views. The walk was classed as moderate and described to have 'steady inclines' but we were exhausted it was so difficult! However, we accept we are not at peak fitness! But, it was well worthwhile. At the top we could see the glacier with numerous waterfalls cascading fresh water down to the valley below. It really was a breathtaking scene, even though everyone appeared at the top looking half dead! Once people had taken the view in for a while, most of them had to lie down and bask in the sun! We stayed here for a while and had our picnic before descending back down again into the valley forest around the river. It was so peaceful on the mountain, we saw a lot of birds that people kept informing us of what they were. We saw the smallest bird in New Zealand today although we have forgotten what it is called! But we are well and truly tired out now!
That night we camped at the same location, before setting off towards the Franz Josef glacier today. Sally and I had a morning walk into town along the lakeside where we met up with Jade and Ruth. It took a lot longer than we expected but it was very pretty and a good way to stretch out our aching legs from the walk yesterday! We have booked a guided all day walk up into the glacier for Sunday and are excited for that, although we worry we may be a little cold! They do provide some gear, so as long as we follow our rule of layering up, it should be a good day!
Amy. x