And secondly (though I believe I’ve done this in the wrong order) a VERY small beachside resort that I unfortunately can’t recall the name of. Anyhow, the small township has become very famous for stone stacks (or pieces of art) that have been created across the beachfront- it was started by one man who made a few and then more people followed the trend; now the entire beachfront is covered.
Immediately on arrival in Wanaka we were very taken by the setting and surroundings, Lake Wanaka is covered on every side by mountainous regions including the very sought after skiing destination of Coronet Peak. The town itself is quite small though with plenty of shops and cafes etc.
Anyway our first evening we decided to splash out on a meal, we chose a little restaurant called ‘The White House’, the reason for our choice; it reminded of us of our time in Santorini, which to date remains one of, if not our favourite destination around the world. The white and blue villa looks like a replica of an Oia/Fira home. Our meal there was very good, serving a nice range of Mediterranean meals. It also gave me chance to sample some of Wanaka Beerwork’s own beer- which was very nice.
Our first full day in Wanaka started in such a slow manor, actually we have nothing of any real great interest to say about the first part of the day…. Perhaps maybe the very minor action of jumping out of a plane. Ok maybe it’s not that minor, in fact it was without a doubt the greatest thing we have ever done in our lives, a feeling that is near impossible to replicate through written verses. The views on our ten minute flight to 12,000ft were simply amazing and I think we both made the effort to take as much in as humanly possibly. Equally, the views on the way down are just as impressive, though falling through the sky at 120+ mph it’s quite hard to really concentrate on anything. It’s an experience that I cannot praise enough and an area that I rate extremely high. If anyone has ever considered doing it, do it, while you have the chance it really is amazing. Sorry but no photographs (if you read on you will see some of the views we saw), though for friends and family we have DVD’s that I’m sure we will bore both you and ourselves with many times when we get back.
Straight after our skydive and pumped full of adrenalin we decided to ascend the 549m Mt Iron, the walk was quite steep in places, though we did see lots of crazy people running it- the loop walk itself only takes about 1 ½ hours, though take some time to really appreciate the views at the top.
Still being left with a buzz all day we decided to treat ourselves with a trip to the most eccentric cinema we have ever been to, the Paradiso cinema. With only one screen and not a whole lot of seats it’s definitely not the most grandeur cinema we’ve ever been to- however what it lacks in size it definitely compensates for in character, being laid out with old but very comfortable couches and lounge chairs and even a little yellow car you can sit in. Attached to the cinema is a little café, where you can order curries, pizzas, wraps, beer, wine and may other things- the greatest thing is they bring your pizza/curry to you while you’re watching the film…. amazing. Unfortunately the lighting meant the pictures we took didn’t come out very well, but this should give you an idea.
Our final part day before leaving for Queenstown was spent on a kayak around Lake Wanaka- an experience that I don’t think either of us will replicate in a hurry, our teamwork skills were non existent and I think it may be wise if we have our own kayak next time. After that not so special experience we decided to reside in a little café for our short time left.
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