Queenstown can get really hectic after awhile, both on the streets and in your mind. Thankfully there's a plethora of easy escapes from New Zealand's most popular tourist town. Clyde, as well as the various tramping tracks near Glenorchy are my favourites but those trips both last several hours to several days. The walk round Lake Hayes is unquestionably my favourite short walk nearby, being both a short distance away and a short enough walk to do in the morning or early afternoon. The weather was gorgeous today and the lake was very calm.
Queenstown doesn't present nearly as many geocaching opportunities as Melbourne so this was a day that I was able to set out and find a few. Five of them surround Lake Hayes, of which I found three. Around the lake I observed a sign that explains the geology of the area. Lake Hayes and Lake Wakatipu were once joined as the water level was much higher than today. Queenstown wouldn't exist of that were still the case. Since it's been cold enough lately, many of the puddles of water are slighly frozen; not thick enough to go ice skating but thick enough for a dog to play and slide across!
I'm fairly light but the ice cracked beneath my weight.
Today I got some of my best photos in a long time! Around every corner in New Zealand is an excellent photo opportunity. Ducks were out and about on this beautiful today.
Ducks fascinate me because they are one of the few creatures that have the ability to walk, swim, and fly! Very few animals possess all three abilities. For this reason I try not to eat duck.
One of my favourite walks, Lake Hayes is highly recommended for a quick trip out of Queenstown. As I walked the entire circuit I hitched back to Queenstown with a lovely mother and her two small children.
