Wanaka

On Wednesday morning, we said goodbye to Te Anau and headed back past Queenstown and on to Wanaka. Wanaka sits on a lake surrounded by mountains. It is larger than Lake Tekapo but not as big as Queenstown. We looked ahead at the weather and saw that Thursday looked rainy and cool, so we made plans for a hike as soon as we arrived to Wanaka on Wednesday afternoon. The most infamous hike in this area is called Roy's Peak, but it was closed due to lambing. We read about another hike, The Rocky Mountain Track, that was supposed to have 360 degree views at the top and to be equally as impressive as the view from Roy's Peak. The hike was a five mile loop with 1,500 ft. elevation. Maggie was having a time until we got to the top, but turned her attitude around as soon was started to descend. She put on one of the better pouting performances I've seen from her. 

Here is the DOC's description of the Rocky Mountain Track: 

Follow the old dirt road from the car park to Diamond Lake, where a steep climb up the bluffs leads to a viewing platform overlooking the small lake.

From there, the Lower Circuit's eastern and western sides keep climbing to provide access to the higher Rocky Mountain Track. From the summit, 775m above sea level, there are great panoramic views over Lake Wānaka, Southern Alps/Kā Tiritiri o te Moana and Mount Aspiring/Tititea.

Sections of the track are steep and often slippery, even in summer. Particularly on the western side of the circuit where there is some light scrambling on a wet, rocky and muddy trail. The eastern side is exposed to steep drop-offs. Extreme care is required.

First lookout spot - Diamond lake below

If she was already tired here, she was in trouble for what was ahead 

First sighting of Lake Wanaka

A smile and an eye-roll all in one - impressive

Now that's a view

clouds, mountains, and water for days

  

It was just a wee bit windy at the top

Mountains in every direction 

pano shot

so green, it looks fake 

climbing back down the east side of the trail 

She's actually smiling here :)

Final steps down, back to Diamond lake then just a little further to the car

Day 2 - Wanaka

Thursday we woke up to a drizzly day. This was good timing because it gave us an opportunity for a chill day at the house and gave everyone a chance to get some school work and real work done. We LOVED this Airbnb; it had a cozy wood-burning fireplace, nice kitchen, views, and a large smart TV. A real treat for us, since our usual TV watching situation in Christchurch is rather subpar.  The highlight of the day was saying "au revoir" to the kids and going to an adult dinner with Jay at Kika. We ordered the chef's pick menu, and let them choose our meal - it was equally as tasty and as fun as our dinner at 5th Street in Christchurch. 

That's not a picture - it's the view from our kitchen window!
 

cozy time by the fire

Primates 

Dinner at Kika - yes, we were those people and took pictures of the food. It was just SOOOO good!

Oysters and Manhattans

baked goat cheese and beet situation

tofu with mushroom mouse and broth - one of those dishes we'd never choose on our own, but was one of our favorites of the night

The main meal - Roasted Duck and boiled, roasted, and fried potatoes in some kind of amazing balsamic sauce 

Dessert! Some kind of caramel delight with ice cream 

Day 3 - Wanaka to Mt. Cook

Jay had a meeting back in the states that started at 3:30am NZ time! He didn't have to present until 8:00am our time, so I convinced him to at least sleep in until 5:00am before he got to the meeting. The kids worked on a little more school, and I packed up the Airbnb while Jay finished his meeting, which ended at noon. Our hosts were kind enough, again, to allow us a late checkout so Jay could wrap up his meeting. We headed to town for lunch and a short walk near the lake, before we took off on the last leg of our trip - the 2 hour drive to  Aoraki Mt. Cook. Final thoughts on Wanaka - great town - lots of good shopping and tons of great dining options. We could have spent many more days here, especially with nice weather, there would be lots of fun to be had on the lake. 

morning view of snowy mountains

Sun came up by late morning, an ever changing view 

another view from rental as clouds started to lift

morning clouds and snow