Wanaka

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On Sunday April 5th, I drove to Wanaka and went for a short hike and did a wine tasting. I was going to go for a longer hike in Mt Aspiring Park, but the road to the start of that hike has many creek fordings and I didn't think my car would make it. Driving out to that point wasn't a complete waste of time because it was a very beautiful drive. There were steep hills on one side of the road and a lake and then a river with steeps hills behind it on the other side of the road. I saw waterfalls and waterfowl. I also saw horses, cows, and sheep.

I ended up hiking up to Diamond Lake (which is more of a pond than a lake) and then up to a viewpoint where I could see Lake Wanaka and the surrounding mountains. It was a beautiful view and a nice 2 hour hike. I saw and heard Bell Birds and Fan Tails. They both have beautiful songs.

After my hike I went to Ripon Vineyards and randomly ran into Stephan, Petra, and a friend of Petra's that I didn't catch the name of and they told me that the first crossing was the worst. So the next time I have a day off I will probably try the Rob Roy track again. The really funny thing about running into Stephan and Petra is Alina, Sam, and I ran into them at Mt Cook. There is a common phrase here that really holds true, "New Zealand is a very small place."

I'm watching a game of Netball while I write this. Netball is like basketball except that there is no backboard, you aren't allowed to dribble, and the net is a little lower. Its not very exciting.

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Photos

Rippon Vineyard
Great Riesling and Gewurtztraminer