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Hello everyone!
So after an action packed time climbing glacier's in Franz Jo we had an early start! However that didn't matter because today I (Nikki) turned 24!!!!! So the 8 am leave didn't bother me too much. After a lovely happy birthday sing song on the bus we headed down to Wanaka. Before leaving I opened the presents from my family and Ben so I was feeling very lucky and cheerful.
On the way we stopped off at the beautiful Lake Matherson. This lake is known as a mirror lake, it reflects the gorgeous scenery of Mt Cook. The picturesque landscape gave us some amazing opportunities for some breathtaking pictures! The water was so still it immediately makes you fall silent and feel calm it was unlike anything we had seen before and showed the true beauty that this country has to offer. I was a lovely stop off and a great way to start my birthday!
After this stop off and a bit of birthday breakfast we headed on route. We drove through the township of Haast and said goodbye to the coastline as we headed inland. The Haast river was lovely to drive along as the water was bright blue and looked so inviting, however we have learnt that the water in NZ is freezing so don't every venture into it. We also passed by some fault line cracks and gorgeous waterfalls on the way. The landscape of this country really takes your breath away; there is something new and beautiful round every corner.
After an hour or so we finally arrive in Wanaka which is situated in the Otago region of NZ. One word - STUNNING. The lake and its huge mountain ranges are amazing. It is such a small and peaceful place that you can see why everyone is so chilled out. We were happy to be spending 5 nights here. Lake Wanaka is the 5th largest lake in NZ and is surrounded by the spectacular scenery of Mount Aspiring National Park.
We checked into the hostel where I was informed that I got a $30 bar tab as it was my birthday YAY! So we settled in and had some food before Skyping home to get my birthday wishes from the family which was lovely it was so nice to see my parents and meggy on my birthday even if it meant them having to get up very early on a cold December morning. The night in the bar started off fairly quiet as most people on the bus only stayed one night in Wanaka , however the bar staff new it was my birthday so they organized some party games and kidnapped Ben and our friends Jack and Marine and made them dress up in toga's as well as painting their faces. I also got roped into dressing up in a vodka banner and a cut up t-shirt, and you know me… Never one to turn down a bit of skimpy dress up! So for the rest of the night we played cricket, musical chairs and twister and had a very merry time!! A lovely way to deal with turning 24!
The morning after the night before…Safe to say I spent most of the second day in bed. After a nice walk around the stunning lake and chilling out on the beach I decided that the bed and TV were just too inviting for my fragile state. Ben of course had no sympathy for me and left me to waste away in bed hehe.
The rest of our time in Wanaka was spent chilling out and walking around the few shops that where there. Ben was in his element as there were loads of bike and skate shops to keep him entertained. He treated himself to a skate board to keep him occupied whilst I read my book on the beach (not daring to swim the freezing lake!) The weather was a tiny bit cloudy on some days so we just enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and stunning surroundings. There is so much to do in this area we just wish we had the time and money. We will definitely come back here if not in the summer definitely in the winter to go to the amazing ski fields.
After a week of lay in's we went to bed early ready for our bus trip to Queenstown in the morning.
From Wanaka with love
Nikki and Ben xx
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