Day 20
Summary: Browsed shops in Wanaka, drove to Te Anau, walked along Lake Te Anau
Tuesday, January 21st
We packed up our stuff and spent a little time walking around the shopping/restaurant area in Wanaka. I bought a pair of tiny stud earrings in the shape of silver ferns. We got lunch at a place called Ritual. I had eggs Florentine (poached eggs, spinach, and hollandaise sauce over brioche) for the first time and it was delicious! I also got a fun dragonfruit juice. Greg got a sandwich and a coffee.
Before we left Wanaka, we had to do the touristy thing and go look at #ThatWanakaTree. It’s literally just a random tree that is growing in the water, but it is said to be the most photographed tree in New Zealand. In the picture below you can see the tourists along the shore taking photos.
It’s a little silly, but it’s undeniably a pretty sight with the Southern Alps serving as a backdrop.
Then, we hit the road to our next destination, Te Anau. We stopped along the way at several lookouts to take in the beautiful mountains and thousands of sheep!
Months ago, when I was looking up interesting things to do in Wanaka on Google maps, I found a place called Snow Farm. I had to click on it because my maiden name is Snow and my dad grew up on a dairy farm! Snow Farm in New Zealand is a ski resort! Since we were traveling in the summer, I didn’t add a visit to our itinerary and almost forgot about it until we drove right past it! I made Greg slow down, and thanks to his quick reflexes, I was able to take a picture.
We pulled over from the highway along Lake Wakatipu to take the photos below. We couldn’t believe how gorgeous New Zealand is, just right off the road! Tourism is a significant source of revenue for the country, and it’s incredible how untouched it remains – in the best way! If it gets too built up, it will lose the appeal, and I think they know that.
Part of me wants everyone to go visit, but another part of me wants to keep it a secret!
We arrived at our Airbnb, a room with a private entrance off one side of an older woman’s house. She was super sweet and accommodating. Te Anau’s tourism is largely due to its proximity to Milford Sound, which is why we were there (to visit the next day)! It makes sense that local residents would pick up on this and make some extra money renting out their guest room. The room had a private bathroom, a large closet, a mini fridge, and a microwave.
We walked around the Te Anau town center and along the lakefront. There were docks for a seaplane and a helicopter that offer aerial tours of the fiordland.
For dinner, we ate at The Fat Duck and we each had a different gnocchi dish. They were alright, but not as good as the gnocchi at Plataeu in Taupo! For dessert, we walked over to the grocery store and bought more Tim Tams. There are not nearly enough in each pack!
Back at our room, we looked into which activities we wanted to book at our next destination, Queenstown. We plugged my flash drive into the TV and were able to watch the beginning of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King without an HDMI cable since this place didn’t have one. Nice!
Thanks for reading!
-Rebecca
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