New Zealand #4 Wanaka

This post is from our time in Wanaka. Here it is on the map. The next post will be Milford Sound so notice the left side of the map and how close it is as the crow flies! It took a full day of driving to get there by the roads!Bummer this focused on my hand, but do you see the door stop? It is a dropped ice cream cone!The next pictures aren't in order. The hike was Roy's Peak. 4 miles up a mountain!That tower is where we're headedKind of tired of sardines by this point...Thanks to our trail friend Marcos we captured this picture of a lifetime!See the tallest peak in this picture? That's Mount Aspiring! Also, the next day we drove back in that valley in the middle of the pictureThe Wanaka Tree! got to photograph this wold famous sight!The best sweet potato fries with sweet chili sauce and sour cream at Speights!So our AirB&B host, Fred, told us how to hike to see the Rob Roy Glacier! It involved several miles on a gravel road, fording several streams, bottoming out in one, lots of dust, cattle/sheep guards, and nearly being run off the road by crazy drivers! But worth every bit! Also, picking up hitchhikers for a few kilometers on the way back. They parked on the other side of that stream we bottomed out in! They were from IsraelWe followed a rushing mountain stream that has carved a steam valley into the hillsWe eventually came around a corner to see this. My breath was taken away.That waterfall is over 800 feet high.Matthew having fun with the depth of field on his camera phone
We sat here for a long time and just looked. Occasionally part of the glacier would break off. It would crumble down into the rocks which funneled it back together and it would come pouring out like a waterfall, roaring the whole time.We thought this self closing gate was pretty nifty! Made Matthew think of his dad and me think of Poppa Clem!
A little more yoga after two big hiking days and before sitting in the car for hours!