Wanaka

We have free, UNLIMITED internet in the hostel we're staying in tonight... so I decided to make good use of it and update the blog a bit.

When I last left off we had left Mt. Cook and we were on our way to Wanaka. Wanaka is a very tiny town right on the lake... lake Wanaka. Imagine that. It's a very quaint town with a very friendly feel. The hostel we stayed in had a very nice garden with picnic tables which I used for a meal or two as well as some journaling. During our day there we decided to go kayaking for a bit on the lake. While it was pretty cold, and we got pretty wet, it provided for some amazing views of the mountains. The mountains here are so tall and so steep, and they all tend to plunge deep into a lake, ocean, or river of some sort.

After kayaking we went to a place called Puzzling World. Basically it was like a corn maze. There was a huge maze with towers in each corner (4) and the object was to find your way to each tower... in order. I think it took us about an hour or so. Some people finished before others... but those people also didn't find the towers in the correct order. Cheaters. Needless to say, that after all that walking, about 6km the place estimates, we were quite hungry.

Luckily, there was a BBQ on the green put on by the local christian churches in Wanaka. Now, the food was free... but we also were preached to a little. A small price to pay for free food. The sausages hit the spot and paved the way for a night of indulging in junk food. There is a terrific little movie theater in Wanaka that plays up to date (for Australia and New Zealand) movies 3-4 times per day. The theater is different though because in the actual theater there aren't rows of chairs... there are about 25 old comfy couches all mashed together. There is also an old VW Bug with the top off the you can sit in to watch the movie. It was very much like the drive-in. The feeling was laid back, you could spread out on the couches, and when the reel broke the owner stuck his head out from the projection room and told us it wouldn't be much longer. At intermission... yes, intermission... everyone goes back out to the lobby to buy homemade, still warm, cookies that are as big as your face. Popcorn, dinners, and wine are also available. I got popcorn and asked for butter to be put on it. The kid behind the counter had a confused look on his face and asked his boss if that was ok... she paused for a minute and said "Yeah, we can do that." About five minutes later she came back out with my popcorn with butter spread on it. Butter that she had to melt on the stove. Special. For me. We've been joking since we've been in Toowoomba that we are fat Americans because we always bake and we eat chips and things frequently. We've even converted our German roommate Steffen into a Fat American. But that night... I was a fat american.

Wanaka was a fabulous little town with such a feel of community. The man who rented us our kayaks (who also told us the lifestory of more than one of the townsfolk) also worked at the movie theater. Wanaka seems like a town where I could see myself living later in life. Everyone knows and cares for everyone else in the town, there are beautiful views, and it has a nice laid back feel.

On to Dunedin.
Miss you all!