Day 2 – Tuesday 31 March

A late start this morning, sitting in the sunshine, looking over Lake Wanaka, whilst enjoying a leisurely breakfast. Most people walking past were rugged up against the chill morning air. After breakfast we enjoyed the stunning mountain & lake scenery as we drove up alongside Lake Hawea then up past the top reaches of Lake Wanaka, stopping a few times for photos. Our destination this morning was the Blue Pools, not far past Makarora on the highway towards Haast & the west coast. The carpark at the Blue Pools was full of tourist cars & motorhomes (surprise). We enjoyed a nice stroll through the moss covered rainforest for half an hour, truly beautiful just for the walk itself. The long swing bridge over the river got up a bit of a bounce & a sway with a few people on it, a little disconcerting. The river water was crystal clear & we spotted a large brown trout swimming lazily against the current. The Blue Pools were just that, a lovely azure colour & crystal clear all the way to the bottom, very pretty & cold as it is fed from the base of a glacier in the Mount Aspiring National Park. Again, another suspension bridge over the pools, a little shorter & not as bouncy. The walk back to the car park was just as pretty, seeing the rainforest from the other direction. It must rain a significant amount here as the moss is very thick & covers just about everything, tree trunks, branches, ground. Thankfully no rain today – a perfect sunny day.

Another very scenic drive back past the Lakes Wanaka & Hawea, driving this time through the small township of Lake Hawea, then over the Pisa Range & down to the town of Cromwell on Lake Dunstan. The historic part of Cromwell is interesting, with some of the old buildings relocated from their former locations in the old town of Cromwell before the river was dammed to form Lake Dunstan & to provide water storage for a hydro-electric power station. It was very pleasant sitting outside in the sunshine having a lovely lunch & looking out over the lake with the backdrop of the rebuilt old town.

Next stop was the Warbirds over Wanaka Warplanes & Car Museum, just before Wanaka on our drive back from Cromwell. The vintage cars in the museum are beautifully restored with a nice collection of American Packard cars from the 1930s, a stunning Duesenburg (worth millions of dollars) originally owned by Carole Lombard (actress married to Clarke Gable) & an equally stunning vintage Cadillac. The original working car from the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang movie was having the finishing touches put on it for its opening ceremony tomorrow as it goes on display for the first time in the museum.

Back to Wanaka & a rest at the motel before a short walk through town window shopping (the price of houses in Wanaka is very expensive) & dinner at the Speight’s Ale House. With some delicious food & an ale tucked under our belt we are full to the gills. We have enjoyed another wonderful day in paradise. The motel is also hosting some participants in a Ford Model A vintage car rally, there are a lot of very well restored Ford Model A vintage cars in Wanaka this week.