Te Anau to Wanaka

On Thursday we left Te Anau and retraced our track to Queenstown. As we were topping up with fuel, I noticed that there was a straight back road linking Queenstown to Wanaka avoiding a the long main road alternative.

The lady in the filling station informed me this was a viable option. So we set out Blythly to take the Crown ridge road, one of the most demanding roads in the South Island.

The road climbed via a series of hairpins (1st or 2nd gear) up onto the top of the Crown range. Close to the top a viewpoint gave a breathtaking view.

That said, an hour after leaving the filling station we cruised into our destination.

Wanaka is a beautiful lake resort town, somewhat upmarket from Queenstown. It’s pride is a long lakeside beachfront with a backdrop of lofty mountain peaks across the lake.

We checked into the motel and then took a long walk along the lakeshore.

Morna couldn’t resist a paddle…

That evening, we finally cracked and after an abstinence of 13 days we found and Indian restaurant and had a curry.

It was wonderful!