I headed out from Arrowtown towards the town of Wanaka. On the way I passed one of the bridges used for bungee jumping. Bungee jumping was made famous by AJ Hackett, a local New Zealander. Really he stole the idea from some other Polynesians who used to jump off platforms with vines tied to their ankles. I would happily give it a shot, but my back had other ideas for my limitations.
Another beautiful fall day, weird as I had just come from a country where we were just ending the winter season
It appeared that I had finally entered farm country. Less sheep and more fruit. I stopped at a few roadside stands to sample some native fruits.
They even had this juicebox. I allowed it, considering it a sign of respect rather than trademark infringement
Wanaka is a cool town, probably my favorite on the trip. It has a slow pace and sits along a lake with great views from the restaurants and bars. The best part is that tourists are at a minimum.
After walking around a little I headed outside of town to hike the Rob Roy Glacier. It takes about 1 hour to get to trail and the trail itself is roughly 2 hour hike up to a viewing of an impressive glacier.
Here is the start of the hike
I stopped at the end for an hour just to sit and watch the sun play off the ice
One of my rather large blisters broke on this hike. There was no doubt as the sting was immediate with the exposed new skin underneath. The idea is to cover the blister and prevent it from rupturing long enough to allow the new epidermis to grow. If the blister is big, you can lance it with a needle and thread but try and retain the dead skin layer. The imagery is beautiful.
Regardless, the hike was amazing and you feel bad for those that are not able to reach this point or turn back too soon. On the way back to town I passed a rugby pitch, but just missed the match. Also along the road I found new pleasure with my sheep interactions. Before, I would just yell at the sheep and watch them scatter, but I learned that my horn was more effective. Every flock I passed I laid on the horn and watch them run each other over. Sometimes I got out and chased them as well. It never gets old.
I got back into town and had a coconut curry mussel meal that was better than expected. My waitress was a girl from Wisconsin who just travelled over here on her own and decided to stay. That takes some balls.
Again I called it a night early. Tomorrow I was heading for the west coast.
Until Tomorrow
Darren
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