Today you all will find me in a beautiful place called Wanaka, but before I tell you all about that I will fill you in on what I have been doing the past few days.... As I mentioned in my previous post I was in Abel Tasman National Park. From there we headed down the rugged West Coast. I can tell you it definitely lives up to its name. For miles you follow a road sandwiched between the ocean and mountain full of lucious plants. The waves crash violently into the shore, the buss weaving back and forth through switchbacks, and the sun shining the whole way through. It is simply beautiful.
Along the way we stopped at a location that is known for rocks that look like stacked pancakes. This place is appropriately named, pancake rocks. Basically after time the rocks have eroded a bit and have created layerings within. They may not sound exciting, but they are actually pretty cool when you see them. We stayed the night just down the road from the rocks in an spectacular house. There were three houses all verying in size. I chose to be in a group of 10 people and luckily for us we got the best house. This house is purched on the mountainside and as you walk up to it you are met with a deck that looks over the treetops and onto the sea. As you walk into the door the there is a nice kitchen with dining room to the left, looking straightforward you are standing in the huge living room, continueing to go forward you walk into a back room that has the cliffside built into it and a pool table, and to the right there are three large size rooms with several bunkbeds in each. Our group chose to make dinner together and we all enjoyed a tasty salad, chicken fajitas, and crepes for dessert. After dinner we all headed to the front porch to watch the sun set into the ocean. Once again, simply beautiful.
From there we made our way down to Franz Joseph, which is a small village located right next to a glacier. Unfortunately, the weather was not that great due to cyclone Lusi. We fortunately did not get with with the brunt of the storm, mostly just rain. With that being said my time in Franz Joseph was fairly low key and nothing exiting to report. We then left to make our way to Wanaka. We stopped at Lake Mathison, which is probably one of the most photgraphed lakes beacuse of the reflection of the Moutains. Along the way we were again treated with stunning scenery. All you could see were moutains filled with shades of golds, greens, reds,blacks, and greys. There were waterfalls, the ocean, rivers, bridges, cows, sheep, and deer. I'll tell you what, the jokes on all of us humans because the cows and sheep have the best views of all. Their pastures are located in the most beautiful settings and their barriers are mountains, rivers, and/or the ocean. If I were livestock I would want to live here.
After several hours on the road we finally arrived in Wanaka. First impression, this little town is gorgeous with a massive lake and gold mountains surrounding. I met up with some friends that night and we headed to the bar to celebrate St. Patrick's day. As expected the bar was crowded, loud, and hot, but there was a good band playing and we were all having a good time drinking green beer.
Today, I have been treated with clear blue skies, a hot sun, and a gentle breeze. I explored the town a bit and now you can find me sitting on the beach writing this blog. I am sitting under a nice shade tree with ducks all around. The shimmering lake in front of me and the surrounding gold and green mountains. Life doesn't get any better than this. For the rest of the day I will continue to watch the ducks play in the water and admire the gorgeous scenery I find myself in. I am one lucky girl. .
Click on link for Photos:
Link #1 = west coast https://www.dropbox.com/sh/g472t1tes7z8k24/Hxf3DEjbDx
Link#2= Me Sledging :) https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sjhthsoz1dsr3wi/NX9tDbyUwV
Cheers,
Jenna
