We arrived in Wanaka!

We got up early and boarded an Air New Zealand flight to meet 10 of our friends in the south island. Thus begun the final week of our amazing vacation! Terry and Simon arrived in Queenstown at the same time and that was great because we could follow them to Wanaka. Oh ya, driving on the other side of the road with roundabouts instead of stop lights, with the steering wheel on the other side, and blinkers in place of windshield wipers, made this drive even more stressful--I mean exciting! I was up for the task and off we went!

This part of the country was absolutely beautiful! This is where people come to ski in the winter and hike and boat during the summer. And it's where wine tasting is mandatory all year round! Truly, one of the most beautiful regions I've ever seen. They call this area the
Alps, and it's easy see the comparison. It is absolutely my favorite!

Terry has immediate family in this area and she was instrumental in helping us to choose everything from restaurants to activities. For the most part our hotels were close together and we met up with everyone for activities and meals. This part of the island was quite a dramatic change from bustling Auckland.

We started out in a cute goldmining town called Arrowtown for breakfast and it was fantastic! Thus begun our foody journey! The area is known for grass fed beef, lamb and even venison, and the dairy here is amazing too! The butter has the most unique flavor, and the egg yolks are the most redish orange I've ever seen. The attention to conservation, the pristine waters and glacier surrounding mountains surpass my wildest dreams.

We stopped at a few wineries Terry picked out and that was fantastic too, except being the designated driver in an unknown county kinda sucked because I couldn't taste. But that didn't stop me from buying a nice bottle for later in our hotel room!

Our cute hotel was right across the street from Wanaka lake and just a short walk from the lovely town of Wanaka. It had snowed on the mountains and I was thankful I had new jeans and a sweater to keep me warm.

Our boat trip did not disappoint! This young lady sheared a 123 pound sheep in record time and the trained puppies go for 10,000 each! I'm going to post twice because this city was amazing! We absolutely loved Wanaka!Read more