The Otago Region

Our first stop inland was Wanaka, the small town where I had originally planned to spend my winter. Dad was looking forward to seeing this place, one of the more prominent features of my travels to date. I had mixed feelings, knowing it would not be the same without the people that had helped make it so special.

We drove in from a route I had never previously taken, giving us a view of Lake Wanaka from the opposite end to the town and passing by Lake Hawea. It was a winding and windy road into the town, one that continually offered views worthy of a photo stop.

Driving into Wanaka I was once again taken aback by its beauty. Even that short time away had let me forget the image of the lake with mountains as its borders.

I was also seeing the town in a whole new light, being greeted by the greens of Spring. I was able to appreciate an opportunity you do not often have as you continually move on, to experience a location in a different season. My most shocking discovery on returning was that the famous Wanaka tree was not actually dead, as the leafless form had led me to believe in Autumn. It stood proud as ever in its watery depths, lush with green leaves.

Whilst there we made time to visit Rob Roy Glacier, one of my favourite walks in the area, which finally allowed dad to see a glacier that wasn’t shrouded in mist. The elements had taken their toll on the route to the glacier, landslides meant a diversion had to be created to allow people to pass. The once placid turquoise blue river was now a determined blue grey force.

Getting into the backpacking spirit we picked up hitchhikers twice that day. The route to Rob Roy Glacier passed over around nine fords, the last few deep enough that we were cautious even from the safety of our four wheel drive. A couple we picked up had parked their small, none off road car, several fords back and were powering through rain before they could even begin the walk. On the way back to Wanaka we picked up a woman returning from another hike. She had taken a year sabbatical from work and was making her way around the world from the Camino de Santiago (a famous walk in Spain), to South America, to New Zealand.

From Wanaka to Queenstown, we wound our way through the Alpine Scenic Route. Here in the lively tourist hub we met some friends I had worked with at Mt Ruapehu. Blessed with a beautifully sunny day we had an afternoon game of frisbee golf, a combination of the two sports. The aim is to get the frisbee into a metal basket in as few throws as possible, with 18 different baskets to get round. It turns out frisbee throwing isn’t where my life skills lie, but it was a fun and interesting twist on the two original ideas.

One important event for dad to tick off while in Queenstown was a visit to Fergburger, famous within the travelling community worldwide. We decided to bask in the wonderful weather, with an excellent view to match, by sitting at the lake’s edge to eat. One factor we had not considered when making this choice was the army of seagulls that lay in wait. One particularly bold member of the clan found it acceptable to swoop down and try to claim the burger resting in dad’s hands! Safe to say we eventually won the battle and sat smugly with the burgers resting in our stomachs, but it certainly added an unexpected challenge to the meal.

Then finally there was Glenorchy, where we were to hopefully catch some sights used as part of Lord of the Rings scenery and complete a day walk in part of the famous Routeburn Track. Or not, as it may seem…

A ferocious storm which had chased dad from the tent to the truck in the middle of the night, had also knocked down some pylons on the only access road to Glenorchy. With a fixed time schedule for making it to Milford Sound that evening (a good five hour drive), we accepted defeat, adapted plans and began our journey south that morning.