A Quiet Day In a Naughty Sounding Town
Franz Josef -> Wanaka, 2nd December 2001
 We
tried to get up early to have plenty of time to get ready for the
Kiwi Experience bus, but we were totally exhausted from the walk
yesterday. So by the time everything was packed and ready to go, I
didn't have time for breakfast or a shave (I'm starting to look like
Rolf Harris as I haven't shaved in so long!)
As we all clambered on the bus, we met our new driver, Dune. Dune
was a tall, gangly guy with dark hair and oval glasses. He was
dressed casually and was much more relaxed than our previous driver
(ex-Army Stu). He introduced himself as "My name is Dune, but you
can call me what you want - anything, as long as you do talk to me".
We made a quick stop at a cafe in Fox Glacier to pick up breakfast.
As we wandered in, we were surprised to find English Footy on the
telly! Chelsea was playing Man United, and Man United was losing!
That was a nice surprise!
 We
made a few more scenic stops on the way so we could take photos of
the New Zealand countryside, and about late afternoon, we pulled
into our destination for the day, Wanaka. As we'd been on the West
Coast, we were all dressed in warm clothes & waterproofs. As we
entered Wanaka, the sun was beating down and all the locals were in
shorts & T-shirts! Our first bit of sun for ages!
 We
all wandered into the 'Purple Cow Hostel' and formed a queue before
the check-in desk. A dragon of a lady, perched on a stool by the
desk, began squawking out the rules to us. Including the fact that
they didn't offer ANY discounts on their prices for ANY cards. When
we reached the front of the queue, Em was about to ask for a
discount, but we stopped her short and saved her life from the troll
lady. We ended up with a really nice little cabin-type room. It was
self enclosed with the beds in one room, a bathroom, a kitchen & a
little lounge with a TV, all shared between only 6 of us!
We all got changed into more 'Summery' clothes then explored the
town a little and did some grocery shopping. Wanaka is quite a small
town and there wasn't much going on. When the others returned to the
hostel, I decided to go on a walk. In the end I wandered out of
town, and hiked to the summit of Mount Iron. It was a short and
refreshing climb, and I sat at the top for a while admiring the
brilliant view of Wanaka Lake and the distant snow-capped,
mist-surrounded mountains.
 After
contemplating life for a while, I headed back into town I went and
had a closer look at the lake. Wanaka Lake is quite strange, it is
one of the very few lakes that have a tidal pattern, like the sea,
but nobody knows why it does. I stood watching the shimmering
surface of the silver-blue lake, rippling constantly. The waves
constantly climbing the short, then retreating again. It almost
looked as if the water was alive, trying to escape from the crater
that restrained the lake. A puddle of water would claw up the shore,
and almost escape, before the rest of its kind would drag it back
in...
As I was about to return to the hostel, I found a long row of tiles
along the coastal road. The tiles had dates & important historic
events on them. I walked to one end of the tiles and read that this
was a Wanaka Town Millennium project. The tiles went from Year 0 to
2000, showing major historic events & when they occurred. After
reading the tiles, trying to remember as many of the facts as I
could, I headed back to the hostel.
Back in our room, the others were watching 'The Peacemaker' on TV. I
joined them, watching it while writing in my diary. After the film,
we chatted with our roommates, before heading to bed.
Tomorrow we're going to Queenstown, our main destination. Queenstown
is Adrenaline capital of New Zealand. This is the place for bungee
jumping, rafting, jet-boating and every extreme sport. We can't wait
to reach a big town with some life! The fantastic scenic views of
New Zealand are great, but we need some action! I'm going to do the
THRILLOGY, 3 very different BUNGEE JUMPS. I can't wait!
Night night!
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