Snow Snow Snow

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When we woke up this morning, we realized that we left the window open all night. Dought. No wonder it was so chilly even with the two heaters!

We decided to breakfast in Haast, so we spent an hour winding through the green rainforests iced with frost until we came to the TINY settlement of Haast. We ate at the Fantail Cafe, a hole in the wall diner. It was $11.50 for 2 eggs, chips, and a mug of lemon-ginger tea. We ate fast since it was starting to rain and we didn't want to get trapped in Haast if the Pass closed!

As we ascended to the Pass the mountains were more rugged, and ice and grit covered the road. The trees at the Pass were bowed with snow, it was a trip to go from the ocean to snowy alpine conditions in a few hours. We took some great pictures of the Gates of Haast with a rushing river and snow capped mountains.

We arrived in Wanaka around noon, a cute little California-esque ski town on the edge of Lake Wanaka. Stacey needed to see her son, so we went straight to her friends' house. Kelly and I headed over to the i-site (I LOVE THESE!) to make some bookings. They were helpful but I was sad to think about leaving our fun group.

I checked into the Matterhorn South Backpackers, a funky hostel/motel above the town center. Kelly and I decided to see Shrek 3 at the Cinema in Wanaka at 4 pm after wandering the downtown- and selecting the bar for our later visit.

The Cinema was this crunchy cafe with a barn attached, filled with comfy couches and chairs, and even an old Beetle! We settled in with some popcorn, and saw the funniest local commericals. Shrek 3 was okay, the ambiance helped. They also had an intermission for the packed house served by the cafe.

I went back to the hostel to heat up tea before we met at Scruffy Murphy's bar. I picked up a quiche and some winter vege goulash for about $7, and some breakfast, at New World Market. I met a reloacted-local cooking dinner, and he was sweet enough to let me know where the live music was that night.

Internet fix for about an hour 😊

I met Kelly around 9 pm, and we drank Guinness and cider and Monteiths until about 11. We made sure to trade info so we could chill before we flew out on the 11th. It was so nice just relax by the fire, curled up in squishy leather couches in a faux-Irish pub. I can't wait to go to Ireland! The Fox Glacier guides were chilling at the bar, and some tourists stumbled through while we talked. Great ambiance, we never made it to the music.

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