Day Seventeen

So for reasons I can’t fathom I didn’t get much sleep last night – maybe the campsite was too quiet. I finally started feeling sleepy around 6:00am – after I looked outside and saw clear skies. This of course resulted in a bit of a dilemma – drift off into peaceful slumber or get my lazy a$$ moving and check out Lake Matheson at sunrise. I reluctantly went with option two and by 7:15am I was on my way to the lake. Talk about your good decisions. You guessed it – stunning. At some point I’ll get some more photos uploaded.

Afterwards I went back to the campsite and did some long overdue laundry (and I mean LONG overdue). With my level of stink back to a more acceptable level it was time to check out the glacier.

So, the glacier was pretty much what you would expect. Without going on an official tour, the closest you could get was within 200 metres – which was fine because, well… glaciers are pretty big. And since I’ve stood in snow MANY times I didn’t feel the need to do an official tour. So, I took my token glacier pictures and hit the road again. Today’s destination, Wanaka.

The drive was very scenic and there were a several cyclists – the most I’ve seen so far (even though the roads are far from cycle-friendly). The drive became incredible after passing through Haast. Driving along Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea was once again beautiful. The winding roads made photo stops limited but I did get a few – hopefully I’ll be able to do some uploading in Queenstown.

I arrived in Wanaka shortly after 5:30. I was only a few kilometers from town so after setting up my tent I pulled out my bike for the first time since Wellington and went for a ride through Wanaka. I ended up at McGregor’s for supper where I had a fantastic bacon and egg burger (I’ve gained a new appreciation for eggs on burgers). Of course, my enjoyment of said burger could have something to do with the fact that it was the first real meal I’ve had in three days – I’m certainly not gaining any weight on this trip! Although I’d estimate that tonight’s burger had about 4,000 calories :)

Still not sure what I’m going to do tomorrow. Making plans seems so pointless anyway. My options are a FULL day of driving or a short drive to Queenstown. Either way, I have to return the car on the 26th :(