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    Arthur‘s Pass

    25 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    After the cool cave experience, I drove on to the Arthur’s Pass Hiking Trail but decided to skip the hike and just visit all the best lookout points. a) I was pretty tired, and b) it was already getting late, with a three-hour drive back to Christchurch still ahead of me. A shame, really—the nature in Arthur’s Pass is nothing short of stunning.

    (Picture 1: Devil’s Punchbowl Waterfall | Picture 2 + Video: Otira Viaduct Lookout | Picture 3: Arthur’s Pass Scenic Lookout)    En savoir plus

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    Spelunking

    25 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    At the cozy lodge where I stayed for the night, I met two Brits, Imogen and Tom—two very kind people. Fortunately, we decided to explore Cave Stream together.

    Reaching the cave was easy enough, though when we got there, we saw plenty of warning signs advising against exploring it without proper equipment: warm clothing, a helmet, ideally a wetsuit, etc.—which we didn’t really have. Oh, and apparently, people have drowned there. Plus, the water was supposed to be rather cold.

    We hiked down quickly and inspected the entrance. It looked amazing! But as soon as we stepped into the water and realized how deep it got right away, we decided to turn back and call it a day. It was simply too cold, and the trail seemed pretty intimidating.

    Before returning to the car park, we took a quick look at the exit—just in time to see a guy emerging from the cave, his clothes soaked up to his chest. We asked him what he thought about the cave. Long story short, he told us it wasn’t all that difficult and that it hadn’t taken him long at all. He even recommended that we try it ourselves.

    The three of us exchanged glances. That settled it. We were going in—equipped with headlights and my fancy dry bag, which Tom kindly carried the whole way.
    (Tom and Imogen remembered that they actually had something like a wetsuit in their car, but they felt it would be unfair to wear them—wanting us to embark on the expedition under equal conditions so we could truly share the experience (and possibly suffer together 😁)

    Just as the water was getting hip-deep at the entrance, we were greeted by an eel. Later on, we even saw a baby eel! It felt both creepy and cool to be so close to them—just 5 cm apart.

    The cave itself was incredible. Pitch black, if not for our headlights. The rocks were fascinating—rugged yet smooth at the same time. We had to watch our step constantly, as the stream flowed through the entire cave with varying water levels. Depending on your height, the water could reach up to your hips at times, though it was mostly ankle-deep. It definitely wasn’t ideal to hold anything in your hands (as we saw some people doing with their smartphones, using them as torches). We were glad to keep our hands free to stabilize ourselves as we maneuvered through the cave.

    There were several waterfalls—some cascading down from the walls, others completely integrated into the stream with strong currents. One, in particular, was tricky to traverse. I struggled with it, finding it hard not to slip on the smooth rocks while trying to keep a steady stance against the powerful flow. But we all made it. That was actually my favorite part! 😁

    At another point, we had to crawl under a large rock, and toward the end of the cave, we encountered a deep pool of water. Thankfully, we didn’t have to go through it, as a few metal steps on our left led us upward. The final challenge was to slide and crawl through a narrow gap to exit the cave—before high-fiving each other for a job well done! We even only took about 25 minutes for the hike through the cave - instead of the hour that it was supposed to take.

    While the water was definitely very cold, I was actually fine! Surprisingly. Maybe because we were all moving the entire time or because of the adrenaline. 😁

    Exploring Cave Stream was definitely one of the highlights of my travels so far! And I was especially grateful for the supportive company. 😊

    This adventure is certainly worthy of my 100th footprint!    En savoir plus

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    Castle Hill

    24 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Time to leave Christchurch—for now. On the way to my destination, Arthur’s Pass, I stopped at Castle Hill, which reminded me a lot of Scotland. And with that, I also thought of Maddie, who would have absolutely loved climbing on top of every single rock here.

    I hiked the 40-minute loop, wondering the entire time whether the rock in picture 5 was giving me the finger!

    I particularly appreciated the tourists who were trying to take a picture of the scenery (apparently not of me) as I was walking through. Wanting to be considerate, I stepped out of the way so as not to block their view. They thanked me for that. You’d think they’d extend me the same courtesy, right? Fat chance! That was hilariously rude of them.

    I continued driving to my lodge for the night—surrounded by hills, streams, and forests. I loved that. The lodge itself is nice, though there’s not much to do around here… apart from collecting a few mushrooms. Looking forward to dinner! 😃    En savoir plus

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    Alpacaaaaas!

    21 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Finally! Cuddling with alpacas! And at a reasonable price, too! Plus, a new hat made of alpaca wool… :)

    There were two groups—one English tour group and one Mandarin group. Both guides did a great job and taught us a few interesting things about alpacas. For example, males are gentler than females. Once a female is pregnant, she won’t appreciate the father approaching her—she’ll spit on him. 😁 Alpaca wool is three times warmer than merino wool. And you should never approach alpacas from behind—always from the front.

    Our tour guide even demonstrated this on one alpaca before we got to cuddle with the males. It was emphasized several times, in fact. That’s why it was both puzzling and increasingly irritating to watch one couple completely ignore everything we were told—all for the sake of a perfect photo of their child with the alpacas. The mother spent the entire hour yelling at her child to touch an alpaca for a picture, while the father kept touching them from behind, then acting confused when they didn’t like it. Infuriating.

    Anyway, after our cuddle session with the males, we moved on to the mothers and their young. Each of us got a bowl of dried grass to feed the little ones—adorable! I had a particularly persistent one sticking with me for most of the time. While most alpacas had a little taste and moved on, mine powered through one and a half bowls of food. ^^

    Watching the baby alpacas roam free with that breathtaking scenery in the background—just what I needed.    En savoir plus

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    2

    Much better!

    21 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    The Banks Peninsula is strikingly beautiful! Green hills, a turquoise bay, cute little towns, and Newton’s Waterfall—ah, I’ve missed sights like this! (Even though I’ll admit Christchurch is growing on me. A bit. But that might just be the hostel, which is quite awesome.) The drive there was so windy and nausea-inducing, though. It’s the first time I’ve ever gotten car sick while being in the driver’s seat. 😁

    Be that as it may, I enjoyed this place plenty! Especially capturing the little rainbow on my camera—it was only visible in the middle of the stream or from the other side. Believe you me, getting across was pretty slippery! With the camera attached to me, I wondered more than once whether the rocks I was putting my weight on were steady enough. Spoiler alert: most of them weren‘t. 😁

    I wanted to explore more, but I had an important 4 p.m. appointment!    En savoir plus

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    Well… Ok. Getting there.

    20 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    First of all, the weather was much nicer today. Second, I explored a new area that looked far better than what I had previously seen. I might even go so far as to say: I see the appeal. ^

    I grabbed a matcha frappe-style refreshment at the Riverside Market (yes, with whipped cream—the matcha, that is, not the market) and made my way to the Earthquake Memorial by the river. I don’t know what Christchurch looked like before the earthquake, but now it feels very modern. There are still quite a few construction sites, though I can’t say for sure whether they’re ongoing repairs or just new projects.

    Opposite the Memorial wall, there’s a Pounamu with a sprinkler that created a pretty rainbow—an unexpected sight!

    I enjoy browsing souvenir shops and popped into one just to compare prices with what I’ve seen elsewhere. The cashier was a tour guide at heart, and it was adorable to see how much joy he got from giving customers the best travel tips while being equally kind to everyone. From my experiences in hostels and on campsites so far (at least sometimes), more people could take a leaf from his book.

    I asked where I might find a blue post box, and wow—what a detailed description! (Yes, I actually found it, despite my awful sense of direction.) He even, for whatever reason, had a photo of the post box on his phone, which he was happy to share. :D

    One great thing about some hostels is the ‘For Free’ box. Apparently, people really don’t like—or need—hot chocolate. Luckily, I know someone who does. :)    En savoir plus

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    Still not convinced…

    19 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    I had only seen the city center so far and it wasn‘t for me. Fair enough. Time to explore the outskirts of Christchurch: Barnett Park (apparently, there’s a cave somewhere, but thanks to a rubbish GPS signal and three different hikes, I never found it…), Victoria Park, and Sumner Beach.

    More rain! That never helps make a good impression of a place. But I was farther from the city and enjoyed seeing more nature, which is always a win. Still, I stand by what I said—New Zealand has far more to offer. I used the word sobering before, and my opinion hasn’t changed, unfortunately.

    While trying to find a parking space at Barnett Park, my first stop, I suddenly spotted a car that had rolled downhill—airbags out, doors open. I pulled over and walked toward it, but there was no one inside. Odd. A little later, another car approached (the only one I saw in two hours) and stopped. The driver smirked and asked if the crashed car was mine. I said no and expressed my concern. He just shrugged and said not to worry—it had been there for a while, and someone must have pushed it downhill. Great. Worried for no reason. :D But that was enough excitement for me.

    Other highlights of the day: A dog so happy to see me that I would have taken it home if its owner hadn’t popped up a second later. A cool building near Victoria Park. Huh. That sounded like it was going to be a list.

    But things were looking up toward the end of the day! The hostel hosted a Paint and Sip night, which I gladly signed up for. And I finally got to drink an Aperol! Not the most important part of the night, of course. (Or was it? :D) I met seven new people, and with some wine (+ Aperol), painting, and good conversation, the night was shaping up well. Our assignment: Flightless Birds. After lively chit-chat at the beginning, the room went silent as everyone focused intensely, only interrupted by occasional laughs of desperation. What a variety of paintings! It‘s always fascinating to see how people come up with their very own interpretation and what can be achieved in only two hours.

    P.S. My painting may reflect my deep yearning for cute penguins, given my thus-far unsuccessful penguin hunt. I also enjoyed the chicken painting and the Bob Ross-inspired sunset featuring a mummy penguin and her steroid-abusing chick (the artist’s words, not mine). :D    En savoir plus

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    So… Christchurch, huh?

    18 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    On my third day in Christchurch—having explored the city center over the past two days—I met up with the two sisters I had previously met in Timaru to visit the Botanical Gardens together. The gardens certainly had some beautiful areas (though the constant rain didn’t help), but overall, I found them rather sterile. The Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh are always in the back of my mind and, apparently, hard to beat.

    The city center itself has a few cool buildings with interesting architecture, but beyond that, it’s still just a city. It’s not Auckland, which is a plus. But after seeing the stunning variety of nature New Zealand has to offer, Christchurch felt rather sobering.

    That night, I finally found more company after Maddie decided to leave me. At the hostel, I spotted three girls playing Scrabble—I couldn’t let that opportunity go amiss! Thankfully, they let me join their game. After introductions, one of them joked, 'Wouldn’t it be funny if we lost Scrabble to a German girl?' That was the last time the topic was mentioned. Because, well… I won.

    Take that, Andrew!

    In all fairness, this time I didn’t have the letter 'V.' But had I needed it, I’m sure that casually slipping in the oversized fridge magnet with that letter—the one I now (proudly?) own—would have gone completely unnoticed. :D    En savoir plus

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    Where are the Penguins?

    15 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Timaru was supposed to have more penguins—without the need to pay ridiculous amounts of money. When I arrived at my campsite, I asked about them, only to be told that they had just received an email that morning: the last penguin had left its nest, so there was no reason for any to return. Oh man…

    Still, I went to the beach anyway and had a nice time. I took a photo of something in the distance that looked like an explosion, though I couldn’t be sure. I was really hoping for a little volcanic eruption—from a safe distance, of course.    En savoir plus

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    Victorian Oamaru

    15 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Oamaru is famous for its well-preserved Victorian Precinct! I took a relaxed stroll down Harbour Street, exploring its many Victorian-style shops (though one shop owner seemed a bit tired of tourist conversations…). But then I suddenly realized—I had only one hour of free parking, and I was already 30 minutes past it.

    I rushed back, leaving Oamaru, my relaxed demeanor, and—most importantly—my not-yet-bought ice cream behind. Shame. It was a great day and I had a good time. But parking is expensive. :D    En savoir plus

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    A Ton of Shags, Seal-Yoga and 1 Penguin

    14 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    My hunt for penguins brought me to Oamaru. Penguins are most active at dawn and dusk, and while it was still a bit early for dusk, I figured scouting the area in advance was a good idea.

    On my way to the penguin beach, I spotted an incredible number of shags! I had mistaken them for penguins before, and this time they were flying around, making them easy to identify. Still, plenty of people excitedly pointed them out, telling me to check out all the “penguins.” :D

    The penguin beach was gated off, but luckily, the gate was open. No penguins yet—just more seals. One in particular was awake and moving gracefully, which reminded me that I should really stretch more!

    While waiting, I met a woman who was also hoping to see penguins. She pointed out a tiny nesting chick tucked under some rocks, waiting for its parents to return. It was a kororā, the world’s smallest penguin!

    Determined to come back later for a better look, I returned at dusk—only to find the gates closed. When I asked at the tourist information center, they told me, Of course, you can still see them! For 45 bucks. Yeah, no thanks. These prices are ridiculous.

    Instead, I wandered over to a different beach but had no luck spotting penguins. On the bright side, I met two sisters from Brisbane, had a great chat, and even caught a glimpse of a partially eclipsed blood moon.    En savoir plus

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    Rocks that Move

    14 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    The hike to Sandfly Bay Beach was only 2 km—how hard could it be, even with a pretty heavy backpack? The way down was manageable, though tough on the knees. It was quite steep, and the sand made sure you never had good grip, forcing you to use extra strength to dig your feet out with each step.

    I foolishly thought the hike back up would be easier. As always, the Department of Conservation’s distance estimates seemed more like measurements as the crow flies—according to my watch, it was actually 3.5 km each way.

    When I emerged onto the beach, I paused to take in the view. I was standing next to a rock when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it suddenly stretch and look at me. What a fright! After gathering my wits, I realized the beach wasn’t scattered with shiny rocks—it was full of seals, basking in the sun.

    After some wildlife photography, I started the hike back. The heat made it even tougher. I decided to take a short break every time my heart rate went above 165. That happened about five times, each break lasting only a few seconds, until I thought, How much longer can this uphill stretch possibly go? I pushed on, determined to get it over with. But behind every promising corner, there was more uphill. I powered through, keeping my spirits up with the thought of an ice cream as my reward. :D    En savoir plus

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    Sandymount - Allan‘s Beach Lookout

    14 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    I had arrived in Dunedin the previous day and really liked it! Especially the Otago Peninsula—countless scenic spots to take in the views and great opportunities for hikes. The drive there was beautiful as well!

    Though there was a moment when I found myself driving along a narrow cliffside road with no barriers on my side. And out of all possible oncoming vehicles, of course, it had to be a large bus. Amazingly, we both fit—but only after I edged as far left as I could to give the bus enough space to pass. As I drove on, I noticed a lot of gravel beneath my left rear wheel. From what I had seen earlier, one centimeter more, and my car would have gone slightly more vertical than comfortable. :D

    On the way to the lookout point, I was joined by an elderly Canadian couple, and we had a lovely chat. They advised me to drive to the next location rather than hike, as the trail was steep and sandy—far from an easy walk. But I thought: WWMD? (What would Maddie do?) And off I went.    En savoir plus

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    Invercargill - Was it worth it?

    13 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Yesterday, Maddie finally had enough of New Zealand, traveling, and… could it be me? All I know is that she’s flying home, though with a heavy heart. (Probably because she misses me—nothing to do with how stunning New Zealand is…) I think, at the time of writing this, she might still be flying. Thirty-eight hours on airplanes and in airports ain’t fun. It was a great time with her, and I shall miss her company.

    With a now much lighter car containing only my stuff, I drove for 2.5 hours from Queenstown to Invercargill. At my campsite, I asked the young lady at reception what she’d recommend I see in Invercargill. Well, she told me there wasn’t really anything to recommend since the place is rather unspectacular. Turns out, she was right.

    I went to Queens Park and had a look around. There was a small rose garden with some amusingly named roses, like Cutie Pie. I was interested in the winter garden, where I took a picture of half a boat filled with plants I thought looked cool. But as I was trying to figure out why there was, in fact, a boat on display, a lady told me that the winter garden was closed and that I should leave. I mean, it’s absolutely my fault—I foolishly assumed that a wide-open door meant you could walk in. Silly, really.

    I continued wandering and stumbled upon the most impressive waterfall yet!

    …See? If you’re frantically looking through the pictures right now, thinking you missed something—thanks for playing.

    I was amazed by quite the impressive display of huge pine cones, spotted some crocuses, and had a little photo shoot with ducks! Until one let me know it had enough. :D

    So, was it worth it? If you like a quiet life, sure. If you’ve just been skydiving and need another adrenaline kick, nah. ^^    En savoir plus

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    Best Burger in the World?

    10 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    After hiking, we had another long drive ahead of us to get back to Queenstown, where we were looking forward to trying the “World’s Best Burger”—at least according to the LA Times.

    Fergburger was definitely a delicious burger. But I can’t agree with the LA Times on this one. There was room for improvement. The best burger I’ve had so far? That would still be the one from Fat Tui in Abel Tasman.

    I will concede, though, that Fergburger’s milkshake was, in fact, top-notch!    En savoir plus

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    Hooker Valley Hiking

    10 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Since we had such an early start with skydiving, we still had time for a 10 km hike in Hooker Valley (get it out of your system in the comments if you must. :D).

    Before we started the trail, we saw a sign stating that the risk of landslides and avalanches was low today. We had only hiked about 1 km when we suddenly heard a roaring, thunderous noise. A helicopter? Nope. A landslide. I just barely managed to catch the tail end of it on camera. From our safe distance, I can say: it was awesome to watch!

    Our hike culminated at Tasman Lake, which was cold enough to have floating sheets of ice!
    But apparently not cold enough to stop Maddie from trying to swim in it. She really gave it a go! She got in, and this time, only dogs could hear her obligatory “The water’s lovely!”    En savoir plus

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    Free Falling in Twizel

    10 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    When we booked our slot for this, it seemed like a great idea. Minutes before, it still seemed like a great idea, but for some reason, my heart was beating a little faster than usual.

    At long last, we were called in to get fitted into our suits, hats, and goggles and received a short safety briefing. We met our instructors, whom we’d be strapped to, and got tetrised into our tiny biplane (four instructors and four participants). And off we went! I do love it when airplanes take off.

    It was a 15-minute flight, and I watched the other instructors quickly check all the straps, make adjustments, and go over everything one last time. Not mine. For whatever reason, he preferred to look out the window (the view was indeed amazing), but that made me just a little bit more nervous. Then the pilot said it was only going to be one more minute! Thankfully, my instructor finally made sure I was secured to him—and to the vital backpack he was wearing.

    The plane doors opened, and the first two teams jumped. Then it was our turn. I was basically dangling out of the airplane while my instructor was still sitting on the edge. Those five seconds felt a lot longer, but it was still okay.

    And suddenly, we were falling from 10,000 feet. My body wasn’t sure how to handle this for the first seven seconds. It was intense! Like when a rollercoaster goes straight down really fast—almost like that, just a lot higher up and with more at stake. :D The wind was deafeningly loud, and breathing got harder. But, as instructed, I kept my head up and my feet up (we were told our bodies should be in a banana shape for this part).

    After the first seven seconds, my body decided that it was, in fact, not in immediate danger of dying and relaxed a bit. The intense feeling from earlier subsided.

    Then there was a strong tug—the parachute had luckily deployed, and the noise from the wind almost stopped. We were now gently gliding through the air, but every time my instructor steered in either direction, there was an extra drop, and the rollercoaster feeling returned. It’s a great feeling! I was asked if I wanted to steer, and boy, did I! So much fun.

    My instructor took over again as we got closer to the ground (I hadn’t even noticed—that’s how much fun I was having). We prepared by lifting our legs so we could slide onto the grassy landing patch on our butts. It was a very soft landing for me (cookies are good for something!).

    My instructor did a great job—as he told me, he had already jumped more than 2,700 times. I almost felt silly for being that excited about my first jump, considering his experience. :D

    All in all: an awesome experience! I would absolutely do it again!

    As a reward for our first skydive overlooking Mount Cook and Lake Pukaki, we drove to a lavender field, where we had the most delicious vanilla-lavender-flavored ice cream! It was definitely one of the best ice creams I’ve ever had—just the right amount of lavender! Maybe we should have started with the ice cream to calm our nerves before the jump… but we did pretty well without it!    En savoir plus

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    Lake Pukaki

    9 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    In the morning, we met up with Andrew one last time before his flight the next day. He even got me a present. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up—it was a fridge magnet with the Scrabble letter V, the very letter that still tantalises me. :D Though now that I think about it, keeping that letter on the fridge might help with dieting. Now I just need it in sticker format for all the cupboards where the cookies are hidden…

    Maddie and I had big plans for the following day, so we needed to drive to Lake Pukaki, which offers a great view of Mount Cook. It also would have been an ideal spot for stargazing, but once again, the moon ruined our plans.

    When we arrived at the campsite, we had about 30 minutes until sunset. We raced to put on our swimwear and hop into the lake. It wasn’t as cold as we expected! It was indeed a short swim—once the sun set, it got rapidly colder, and we raced to warm up again.    En savoir plus

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    Milford Sound

    8 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    When it was time for our 2-hour cruise, we had to hurry, completing a 30-minute walk in just 15 minutes to arrive at the terminal on time.

    The boat offered complimentary coffee and tea (though only black tea—what’s people’s problem with green tea? :D). Fortunately, Maddie had two packets of hot cocoa in her pocket, which we thoroughly enjoyed while the cold winds swept across the upper deck.

    Milford Sound is picture-perfect! The waterfalls are breathtaking, seagulls continuously accompanied us, and we were fortunate to spot seals lounging on some rocks.

    The last picture shows lines in the rocks—at that point, the glacier passed through the valley at a speed of 7 meters per day!

    Our return drive brought us back to Queenstown very late in the day.

    It was a lot of driving just to reach Milford Sound—approximately 4.5 hours each way within a 33-hour span. Admittedly, it’s a scenic drive, especially as the Sound comes into view. Plus, there’s a fantastic tunnel to drive through!    En savoir plus

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    Waterfalls Along the Road

    8 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Every time I think I can’t be impressed by another waterfall, I am proven wrong; they are all unique in their own way and worth seeing.

    We visited two waterfalls: Marian Falls (shown in pictures 1 and 2) and Christie Falls (picture 3). Afterward, we went to a lookout point with a great view. Just as we were about to leave, a tour bus arrived, and to our surprise, Andrew got out. So we walked back to catch up with him. It might have been the first time he didn’t reference my still-painful Scrabble loss. :DEn savoir plus

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    Cascade Creek

    7 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Today, we spent most of the day driving from our campsite in Queenstown to our campsite in Cascade Creek, relatively close to Milford Sound.

    We took a lovely walk in Cascade Creek and stumbled upon a lake with a stunning mirror-like reflection of the mountains. A lucky moment indeed! Just seconds later, the rain started, the wind picked up, and the reflections became a thing of the past.

    We had to drive on anyway, as we had a few stops planned before our 3 PM cruise through Milford Sound.    En savoir plus

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    That Wanaka Tree

    6 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    It was a bit of a slow start today—we experienced the coldest night in the tent yet (it dropped to 7°C), so we needed a while to get going. A blanket, a sleeping bag liner, and a sleeping bag, plus gloves, a scarf, and a hat, weren’t enough to keep me warm. Getting into short clothes in the still-freezing morning—just because it’s going to get hot later—was a bit of a struggle.

    Only a few minutes from our campsite, we visited the popular “That Wanaka Tree,” a tree that is supposed to grow in the water near the shore. When we got there, however, it wasn’t near the water at all—much of the lake had dried up. That didn’t stop a busload of tourists from blocking everyone’s view as they attempted to take pictures of the tree with a scenic background. Each person in the group walked up to the tree, touched it, and had their picture taken. That was baffling. It was the worst possible angle, and the sunlight would have made it impossible to make out their faces in the picture. But I guess: monkey see, monkey do.

    Later in the day, we drove on to Queenstown to our DOC campsite, where we had a great view and sketchy reception. :D    En savoir plus

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    Thunder Creek Falls

    5 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    The last stop of the day was Thunder Creek Falls - a beautiful waterfall (I guess, all of them are).

    We drove on to the campsite, but spent the evening at Andrew's hostel where we made pizza and corn and played Bananagrams (not quite, but similar to Scrabble) where I also finally made up for the terrible loss of Scrabble from the previous night. :DEn savoir plus

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    A Waterfall in the Mountains

    5 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Roaring Billy Falls was one stop along the way to Wanaka and a great opportunity to polish the skill of skipping stones. And, of course, to try to capture the falls on camera.
    A few minutes behind the falls, we caught a glimpse of Mount Brewster before our last stop of the day.En savoir plus

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    Lake Matheson, 2nd attempt

    4 mars, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    The first day with a bit of sunshine! We had almost forgotten what that felt like. It was still cloudy enough in the mountains to obscure a decent view of Lake Matheson, though.

    Maddie and I had checked out the lake two days ago, but all we could confirm was that there was a lake—it was far too rainy and foggy to see anything else. Lake Matheson is famous for its perfect mirror reflections under the right conditions. Today’s weather was arguably better, but the spectacular mountains remained hidden behind clouds, and a gentle yet disruptive breeze rippled the water.

    At one point, though, I managed to capture a picture of my reflection in the lake. ^^

    Much later that day, we arrived at our new campsite which had a Scrabble game. You didn't have to ask Andrew, Maddie and I twice to play. :)
    My gaming skills were off the charts. I was way ahead in points throughout the game. I just wasn't able to place one letter: V. V had 4 points. My score: 197. Andrew had caught up in points, but I wasn't worried.

    I should have been.

    While he "only" had 194 points, he was the first to finish and to inform us, that the points of unplayed letters would be subtracted from the total... Soooo. My now 193 points lost me a spectacular game. Ow, ow, oh, the pain. 😁🙈    En savoir plus

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