A week in Wanaka, part I
Wanaka was next on our list. We’d been there before a couple of times, but it’s been a while and we wanted to come back and spend more time. Good choice. Wanaka has changed a lot in the last 10-ish years or so, becoming a bit more queenstown-ish, growing a lot. But still small and more relaxed than the big neighbour.
It was relatively difficult to find accommodation for a week that matched our criteria. So we booked a “Tiny House” in Albert Town – the choice of location was good. Quiet, with the lovely Pembroke Patisserie round the corner. The accommodation itself wasn’t so great. There’s an old song by Tocotronic called “The idea is good but the world isn’t ready yet”. That’s a very accurate description of this accommodation. Almost impossible to get proper sleep because it heated up (even with blinds drawn) and the “bed area” was up in a nook under the roof, which made it extra stuffy. No insect screens, so either sweat like a pig or get eaten by the mozzies. Plus, there was a cat lurking around which tried to enter whenever the windows were left open and unattended. I don’t like cats and I’m allergic to them, so that’s a no-go. Also almost no space to store luggage but luckily we don’t carry much stuff anyway. Not to clean either, insides of cupboards could use some tlc … . There were some nice features as well, like a very nice deck to hang out. Worst thing was the “smart home” stuff, though. I mean, if you install this surveillance shit you should at least make sure it actually works. But it didn’t. Very annoying.
Nevermind, we still had a fantastic time hiking, biking, climbing, and kayaking. Like the perfect vacation for me – also good ice-cream, patisserie, coffee, and food of course. 🙂
We kicked things off with a little leg stretcher, combining the Diamond Lake & Rocky Mountain Tracks. Great views, easy to reach, not strenuous at all.
We’d also chose this hike to scout out the location of our adventure for the next day: Via Ferrata climbing with Wild Wire Wanaka. Good stuff! Great fun! Well organized operation and a great via ferrata. You basically climb up twin falls, zigzag up the cliff with a few wire bridges as added bonus. There’s three levels, while we would have loved to do all three, the only option to get down from top of level three isa heli ride and that was a bit on the expensive side, not to mention that I don’t like the noise that jetboats, helis etc. introduce into wilderness areas … . So we settled for level two, which was still fantastic. It’s all very easy (provided you don’t have fear of heights, of course), not strenuous at all, a great experience all around. The Reisebegleitung was happy too, I’d kinda sprung this upon her as a surprise. 😀 Plus there was a decent ice cream sundae at Patagonia Chocolates as a reward afterwards.
Next up: Isthmus Peak. Finally some real shit. 😉 It’s not really that well known/publicized (compared to some of the big hype tracks in the area), but what a fantastic day walk. Breathtaking views, not just from the top, and a really nice track as well. Plus: very few people. It’s lonely at the top … . 😀 Still, an easy walk, no dangerous sections here, just a long, steady climb and then descent the same way. Bring poles, your knees will thank you later. Also sun protection, since it’s more or less completely exposed. From the top, you get views of Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea, since Isthmus Peak is, well, on the isthmus between these two lakes. Use the first carpark coming from Wanaka, since the second one is smaller and always full. Start early and pick up the lovely almond croissants from Pembroke on the way through Albert Town!
