We walked back down to the waterfront in search of breakfast, and decided to stop at Alchemy Wanaka.
After we packed up our things, we found ourselves at Roys Bay, where the fellow renting out kayaks was very concerned about our skill level. Having rented kayaks back home without any fuss, it seemed odd to have a place be even more meticulous, with waivers, a demonstration, and multiple warnings despite the calm waters.
I didn't risk taking my electronic devices out into the water, so these photos are all I have; I wish I could have taken one from my perspective, as there was something magical about gliding through mirror-like water, with only the mountains in front of you.
After an ice cream break where we utilized the sun to dry off, we drove into Queenstown as some of our party wanted to try the world-famous bungee-jump- only to be told that it was cancelled due to inclement weather. Scrambling for a plan, we decided to head into Glenorchy.
We arrived at the Dart River Delta to meet a gentleman who ran a self-guided tour on 4WD. After some briefing and directions on how to drive (the vehicles were from the United States, so the driver was on the left), we headed out to the river.
Before my trip, when people found out I was going to New Zealand, the first question they would ask was about my plans to visit Lord of the Rings filming locations. As a non-fan that had her interest piqued by some dedicated fans who guided me through the first movie, I was willing to go, but was outvoted. However, we coincidentally drove beside the location for Isengard, that was on the other side of the hill from where we were driving around.
It had been an extremely windy day, with ominous thunderclouds above us since our drive into Glenorchy. I was thankful for the face mask I had bought in Seoul, that prevented the dust from battering my face. As the wind picked up, it began to be difficult to even stand, and we made our way back.
We were his first visitors from Ontario, and second from Canada since he opened last year. He was worried we wouldn't enjoy our time due to the high winds and forecast of rain, but we evidently lived up to his expectations of our Canadian toughness. He showed us how he could track the weather, and that the upcoming storm was likely to flood the area we had just drove through within the next 24 hours.
He advised that there were not m(any) options for dinner in this neck of the woods, so we hurried to our lodge in Kinloch. We made it just before the kitchen closed, and were pleasantly surprised by the offerings of the restaurant.
We walked down to the lake after dinner, and walked along the road for a little while before discovering it continued into the woods for a few kilometres until it led to a dead end, so we headed back through the gentle mist of rain.
Our lodge was adorably yellow and situated lakeside, with a view of the surrounding mountains. New Zealand has been full of places I read of in books, that I dreamed up in my mind, and it felt surreal to be there.
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