Wanaka - our last 4 nights before home

From Doubtful Sound - it was a 5 hr drive to Wanaka, which is approx 1.5 hrs north of Queenstown. Wanaka is also situated on a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains.

Our room was a 1 bedroom apartment at a fairly big resort. It was great to have a bit of space around us after the boat. We happily ordered in room for dinner on our first night and enjoyed this view from our balcony.

Next day was a lazy morning then out to check out the town. It was about a 30min stroll from our resort around the lake to the town centre.

We couldn't resist taking a photo of the entree Mark had for lunch. It was bacon wrapped scallops and were by far the biggest scallops we had ever seen.

These are a couple of photos taken of the lake from the town centre.

Our second day we took a drive around town and also to buy some snacks for a picnic dinner. This was part of the lake which winds away from the area we stayed in.

Imagine our surprise when the clouds lifted and we realised we could see a glacier from our apartment. When the sun hit it, it just glowed! Once the clouds came in, it was the first area to be hidden.

We took a couple of bikes from the resort and rode across the other side of the lake for a picnic dinner.

Major sore butts by the time we got back to the hotel.

Mark reading in the corner seat of our apartment.

Last full day there, we decided to check out the local wineries. The first 2 were quite small. Tasting was held literally at the kitchen bench of the owners house. Fun! They also were keen to show us the vines, pointed out what the different colours on the berries were from, how they trellis them etc.

The 2nd one also gave us a bit of a tour of their vineyards after tasting, and the amazing view they have of the Clutha River which constantly flows rapidly.

The final we went to provided tastings for several surrounding wineries as well as has a great restaurant and garden in the grounds. After showing interest, we were given a walking tour of their 1.5 hectare vege garden and to check out the sheep etc.

This is the view of their property (which was used for a scene in Lord of the Rings), taken from our table where we enjoyed a very late lunch.

We are now at the airport in Queenstown. Our route home is via Auckland, so a bit of a hassle. Apparently direct flights can be had from Queenstown to Melbourne in winter. We'll be keeping an eye out for one of those!