On to Wanaka, with Side Trips

After muesli and yogurt at the table with the view of the bay (a lovely sunny morning), we got ourselves organized to go back out to our job of touring.  First we drove around the edges of the waterfront -- and learned too late that there were tiny penguins who come in at night to sleep -- and walked around downtown (lots of small businesses, not many places to buy postcards).  When the Museum of South Canterbury opened at 10, we were at the door.  This museum told a long and well documented story of the region, and of the ways that NZ was populated and how the explorers finally came to find these islands (navigational expertise involving stars, knowing about bird migration, the reflections off of clouds, and wind) which are not that easy to get to because the currents do not just bring you here. We spent longer than we meant to, reading all the stories and watching the movies. It was a pretty sophisticated museum with lots of artifacts and interesting themes.  At the end we watched three short films about three famous people who grew up in Tiramu or nearby. There were about three more movies but we had to get back on the road.  One story was about a world record breaking runner who got a gold medal at the 1936 Olympics in the 1500M and went on to be a surgeon at the very hospital that Benjamin's project is housed (Hospital for Special Surgeries), and who is remembered by an oak tree that he received for winning the race (as did all the winners) that he donated to his old school in Tiramu. People are still planting new trees from those acorns.

These flowers are in bloom all over the country and Hana is determined to find out what they are.

Our second activity was picking raspberries since it is summer here and I have only traveled during the summer about four times in my life (once to England with my aunt in 1982 when we picked raspberries). The first farm we got to was not having pick your own today so we bought some already picked strawberries and cherries and went to find another place.  Ended up going in from the back side, on a gravel road, crossing a wide ford with no water in it, and arrived to find an unattended farm.  Eventually the owner came back from wherever and gave us some containers and we went out to pick. Jon picked red currants but I stuck with the original plan. This farm has been in business for 27 years, it is named after the four sons (Stancrdu Farm) -- I think there might have been a better solution to that naming challenge. In the end, none of the sons decided to farm anyway.

Can hardly move, but still the best picker.

The day's haul. All delicious.

Then we began the long drive west, through flat plains and rolling hills and past bazillions of sheep and past that striking blue water in lakes and rivers that Jon compares to the color of Baskin-Robbins Dacquiri Ice.  We stopped to take pictures whenever we wanted to.  It was a two lane highway with lots of campers and trucks and cars, quite busy.  It took all my personal vigilance to keep the car on the road, while Jon did the actual driving, unconcerned. He worries about such different things from me. We went through a mountain pass and we marveled at the uniformity of the very low bushes all the way to the tops of the mountains. Not much biodiversity on those mountainsides. Dramatic from a distance and from up close, those smooth lines and high peaks.

You can never take enough pictures of sheep, although I'm sure the cows feel slighted.

Once again, the incredible blue of the water.

These hills are covered with just one kind of tufted grass which makes for an incredible sight.
Plus they are offset by the blue flowers (are they delphinium?) and all the bees in them.

By 5:45 we rolled into Wanaka (rhymes with Chanukah or Monica), a resort town with a big lake with mountains rising just to the west. This morning Alissa and David got up at 3:00 to climb the mountain and see the sunrise from the top.  These are real mountains. Alissa said there were 20 other crazy people on the trail with them, and plenty of sheep all the way to the top. New Zealand doesn't have any snakes or scary animals so they climbed with headlamps and no fear.  It was freezing in the dark.

Our new Airbnb house is quite fancy, with landscaping that reminds me of California. We have the upstairs suite, a loft. Tons of space for two people traveling with very little luggage.

We met David and Alissa at a fish and chips shop at the lake and we had a nice picnic with tons of fresh fruit and delicious fish and fried cauliflower.  David says this is his favorite place on earth. It is like the Riviera/Lake Como/Hawaii with a glacier.  The water is clear and cold.  Alissa reminded us that the South Island was formed not by volcanos but by tectonic uplift -- and that explains why the soil looks different from the North Island.

It is 9:45 at night and still light out.  Traveling at a time of year when flowers are blooming and people are on vacation -- it's so different. We need to stay awake long enough to see the stars. Alissa says she saw the Milky Way last night because the moon rises so late.