Friday 16 July 2010

Wednesday – Makarora to Wanaka

As we awoke this morning and pulled our curtains back we were lucky enough to see the sun hit the opposite mountains and light them up.  The frost was thick on the ground and so we waited until the sun had hit the valley floor before heading out on the highway.

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We drove a few kilometres back up the highway to the Blue Pools, a natural wonder!  The sheer volume of glacial melt that cascades off the peaks down into these pools means that they are kept a clear bright blue most of the time.

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As we headed down into the heart of the central Southern Alps the scenery was stunning.  So much so that we decided to stop for a hot chocolate and biscuit beside Lake Wanaka to enjoy the view.  A huge lake at 311 metres deep, 45.5km long and 277 metres above sea level.

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As we travelled down the perimeter of Lake Wanaka the viewpoints were spectacular, giving Ben a great chance to do a couple of panorama shots.

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As we crossed through ‘the neck’, a narrow pass, we were suddenly looking down onto Lake Hawea, another beautiful lake.  Once again a large lake at 393 metres deep, 35 kms long and 342 metres above sea level.

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We stopped for lunch at a lovely spot (which was adamant about NO overnight camping!!), and then continued the short distance into the town of Wanaka.

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We checked into the Lakeview Holiday Park and booked a Milford Sound fly/cruise/fly trip for tomorrow…we have to call at 9:30am in the morning to see if the weather is okay for the trip to go ahead…fingers crossed!

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