We're officially into the second full week of our honeymoon, and we have to say, it feels GREAT. We're both (finally) healthy and are enjoying both the adventure and R&R that's come with this territory. There are a lot of people to thank back home for that, and we certainly will when we return.
Following our "adrenaline" and "farm" stops, we headed to our next stop that would originally have been called "lake", but shall now be called "ohmygodwhereisthetopofthisdarnpeak" (more on that later). Driving north past Queenstown, we made a quick stop in Arrowtown, a petite gold mining village that looks like it could stage an episode of Westworld. After poking around the greenstone (jade) stores, we had an amazing lunch at Akarua Winery, and continued on to Wanaka.
Lemon posset, Akarua Wines & Kitchen, Lake Hayes
Wanaka (WAH-nuh-kuh) is a popular ski and summer resort town, and we'd booked a lovely Airbnb about 10 minutes from the center. Our hosts were environmental artists, and our lodging was literally in their art studio (Martin Hill Studio) - a standalone residence with floor-to-ceiling windows to take in the light and mountain views. It was spectacular, and afforded a wonderful opportunity to try some night photography. We wandered outside our first night, shot six or seven frames, and were delighted to find that we not only captured a satellite streaking across the photo, but also a shooting star! The pic is on our Photos page.
We'd decided to do a hike the next morning, and since the most popular hike (Roy's Peak) was closed for fawning, we opted for the suggested alternative of Isthmus Peak. Now, while we don't consider ourselves in the best shape of our lives, we're certainly capable of hiking reasonable distances and feeling good about it. Isthmus Peak threw us for a bit of a loop (many loops, actually), and turned out to be quite a strenuous 5 miles up steep inclines nearly the whole way. Fortunately it was a gorgeous day out, but this also meant cloudless sun with no cover. The hike also presented many false peaks that looked like the top, only to learn there was much more work to do. We used every bit of 3 hours to reach the summit nearly a mile up, but had a great time doing it! Out of sheer coincidence (or shear coincidence, as Kiwis might say), we met another honeymooning couple from our same neighborhood, and hiked with them the majority of the way. Look for this photo in the Jamaica Plain Gazette:
We also met another friend whom we hope to see back in Boston:
After soaking in views of the Southern Alps and two lakes (Hawea and Wanaka) that are split by the peak, we headed back down, passing a number of cows that had unsuccessfully disguised themselves among the bush.
We rewarded ourselves with dinner at Ode, a hip new restaurant (recommended by our hip new artist friends, natch) serving "conscious fare" sourced locally. Tuesdays are whim nights, where the chef experiments with new dishes and guests provide feedback on pen and paper. A fun way to end our very tiring day!