Wanaka

On arrival in Wanaka we were reminded of one of the reasons we had wanted to stay there: Puzzling World. We stopped briefly to check opening times for the next day, then went on to our accommodation, Manuka Crescent Motel. This was a lovely place away from the main road.  We especially liked being upgraded to a larger suite. We did a load of washing (expensive but necessary), hanging the clothes on the line just outside for a few hours in the wind until dusk (9pm, remember!) before bringing them inside to finish drying in the room overnight. Dinner was cooked in our room again.

Ian went to the shops for supplies while Laetitia kept an eye on the laundry. He brought back a pack of fresh peas in their pods, which Laetitia shelled while he started cooking. It’s something that can be done while thinking about something else or even watching TV, however she doesn’t intend to make a habit of it as it’s rather time consuming, which isn’t conducive to a quick meal.

The next day we went to Puzzling World. The great maze took us over an hour and introduced us to many people (other maze walkers). Yes, I’m sure we did walk at least the average four to five km! You have to find your way from the entrance near the centre to each of the four corners (in order, for an additional challenge) and then back out again to the exit near the start - which is almost as hard as finding the corners!

Then we visited the illusion rooms, which were very impressive, but quite hard to describe. You just have to go there yourself, I guess!

We went back into town for lunch, finding suitable take-away fare at a kebab shop on the esplanade, and took it away from the busy centre of town to a quieter spot on the beach by the lake to eat.

On our way out of town, we visited Christofer Robyn Quilts, where Laetitia browsed the wares and we asked for advice on which route to take to Queenstown. The Crown Range route sounded more like us, so we took that option and indeed very much enjoyed the views as we descended in many switchbacks down from the pass. Apparently that’s the highest sealed road in New Zealand, at 1076 m, and it was only sealed in 2000.