We are in Wanaka.
A major holiday spot popular in the summer for water sport as it is located on the southern end of Lake Hawea,1,345ft deep. And in winter good for snow boarding and skiing. As it is located close to the mount aspiring national park.
To get there we took the Lindis pass used by early Maori and then later in 1858 used by the first European John McLean to settle in the area to establish a massive sheep holding station holding up to 1,500 sheep. We got stuck in rush hour.
We are headed today to Twizel on the recommendation from Dave the guy we met on Baldwin street. He said the colour of the lakes were turquoise and it would be the best view of mount cook. He wasn’t wrong.
Twizel is a new town built 1969 as a construction town for the upper hydro-electric development scheme. The power from the hydro-electric station provides one third of New Zealand’s electricity. Once the hydro scheme had been completed the town was retained by local people who exploited its proximity to excellent fishing lakes and mount cook only 37 miles away.
We had a lovely campsite one lake ohao popular for swimming but it was way to cold for us to try it out. Instead we went for a evening walk to enjoy the natural beauty.
Traveling further into the mountains we visited the alpine town of Queenstown established in the 1860’s gold rush. It backs onto the remarkables mountain range and has enjoyed a boom in tourism now being a leading international resort for adventure sports. Next stop 13 miles from queenstown was Arrowtown a picturesque preserved gold-mining town.
It’s Main Street still has its old colonial shops and buildings at one end and tiny miners cottages dating to the 1860’s the other.
Our journey continued over Kawarau river next to the suspension bridge where the worlds first bungy jump took place 1988. The bridge was built 1881 provided a permanent means to cross the river replacing the punt.
We camped up tonight at the side of lake dunstan another stunning location and we had the place to ourselves.
