Wanaka - a Holiday from Holidaying

After our Routeburn adventure we decided it was time to chill out and so we said farewell to the extended family and Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu and headed to Wanaka via the former gold rush town of Arrowtown which is more like an upmarket a themed shopping centre. From Arrowtown it was a short journey over the Crown Range via Cadrona to Lake Wanaka. Leslie remembers the Crown Range zig-zag road from the days when it was little more than a gravel track with corrugations but now it is the highest sealed road in New Zealand at 1076m and an easy ascent to some more wonderful scenery.

The town of Wanaka was formerly known as Pembroke but in 1940 the residents changed the name to match the name of the Lake Wanaka, a Maori word meaning ‘place of learning’ or ‘sacred knowledge’. It is a much quieter setting than the bustle of Queenstown and thanks to Leslie’s cousins Carl and Elizabeth Church we made our home here for a week, which we then extended to a fortnight. During the first week we were joined by Leslie’s sister, Helen and Derek McKinnel and his brother, Brian and Jill Church. Playing 6 handed Canasta with only two packs of cards leads to some hilarious outcomes, but Johnny was also introduced to the Australasian card game of 500; we’re sure we will be teaching other friends this fast and tactical game before long.

At the end of our first week we were joined by Leslie’s niece Ruth and her husband Darryl and daughter Haidee.

There is an annual open-water, mixed ability, swimming event from the shores of the lake out to Ruby Island, 600 metres off shore. This event is extremely well organised; there are people who chose to swim out to the island, a distance of 300m, those who chose the return journey, 600m including clambering over rocks onto the island and a dive back into the water; a 1.2km round island trip and for the more adventurous, 2.5km, 5km and 10km swims. Each group had different coloured caps to help smooth the brilliant organisation of this popular event.

Leslie’s great niece Haidee, who was born with chromosomal abnormalities has faced profound challenges all her life. Thanks to amazing support from her parent’s Ruth and Darryl and her brother Duncan along with her own determination she never shies away from achieving more and so for her first open-water swimming event she chose the 600 metre return event. Leslie was nervous whilst waiting for her return to shore but her father was certain of her competence. She completed this enormous challenge with a huge winning smile in 38 minutes and declared she is doing the 1.2km swim next year. Another emotional highlight on our amazing trip.

Wanaka was also the place to say a sad farewell to Leslie’s immediate family. It has been wonderful to be together but time for each to get back to their own lives. Who knows where or when we will be together again but those familial bonds keep us united. For us, a further week of swimming, kayaking and for the first time in many years, bike riding. Thankfully there are no youtube clips of Leslie’s first attempt to get on the bike, he definitely needs to start yoga and loosen those hips! The beautiful Glendhu Bay on Lake Wanaka was a new favourite for us.

We loved our break from touring, and rounded off our stay with a delicious meal at restaurant arc; if ever you are in Wanaka and feel the need to treat yourself, this is the place is worth a visit. Thank you to Carl and Elizabeth for the use of your house; it was the perfect place to chill out.

From Wanaka to Christchurch is a 5 hour, 425km drive, over the amazing Lindis Pass which is 971 m and the highest point on the South Island state highway network. This barren high country scenery is delightful to travel through but it’s isolation and legendary cold winters makes it rather inhospitable for human habitation.

We stopped at Omarama, a small settlement that welcomes salmon fishermen and is also a centre for merino sheep farmers. We can recommend the Oasis Bar and Cafe for their enthusiasm in catering for our non-vegan gluten, dairy and egg free dietary requirements.

Our journey then retraced our path in December past Lakes Pukaki and Tekapo with stunning views of Aoraki/ Mount Cook and onto to Christchurch where we had a wonderful meal at the King of Snakes with our niece Deborah.

The following morning we continued our journey to Picton. Leaving Christchurch we followed State Highway 1 north, ready to catch the interislander ferry to Wellington. Being a slightly shorter journey of 336 km meant we were able to stop for a flight with Wings over Whales at Kaikoura. Male sperm whales live on the Kaikoura coast and we were briefed about their behaviour and characteristics before departure in an eight seater fixed wing plane. Sperm whales can hold their breath for between 45 minutes and an hour so our pilot had made an estimation of how long it would be before a previously sighted male would emerge. He first flew us over a pod dolphins numbering between 100 and 200 and then began the search for the sperm whale. We now understand how skilled research and recovery pilots are when looking for something in the ocean. There is a lot of blue out there! Eventually we had to turn back without seeing a sperm whale which dives so deep it uses sonar to detect its food source and apparently makes a sound twice the decibels of a rocket launch. Of course we were disappointed until we returned closer to the coast and suddenly below us was one of the world’s largest creatures; a blue whale. We only saw it for a moment as it was returning to the ocean depths and from our height it was difficult to capture on photograph but it’s scale was undeniable. Our flight, which then continued over Mount Fyffe at 1602 metres in the Seaward Kaikoura Ranges.

Back on land we were able to sample another delight of this area which was so badly damaged in 2016 by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake. The seabed has lifted completely changing the landscape but not altering the flavour of the barbecued crayfish which we ate beside the beach before heading further north into Marlborough, home of some fantastic vineyards.

And so it was time for our last night in Te Wai Pounamu (South Island). What an amazing seven weeks. So many highlights; so many memories; so much love. Tomorrow we will cross Cooks Strait to begin a new adventure in Te Ika-a Moui/ North Island.