Day 67 & 68 Wanaka, Lake Wanaka Outlet Walk

Monday was a day of rest and visual enjoyment.  We stayed pretty close to the campsite and the camper.  The surrounding scenery certainly helped with the contentment of doing nothing.  It was a really good day.

Tuesday ( Day 68 ) was a beautiful day.  Every day starts off fairly cool but by noon it is starting to get really hot.  In the morning we drove down to Lake Wanaka, parked at the I Site in order to walk around.  The setting was pretty nice. We are at the south end of the lake on Roy Bay which has a beach as well as the Marina.  Directly across the street is a collection of Cafe's, Shops and Tour Kiosks.  I do believe we are in a true holiday mode here as opposed to a touring mode.  Another spot we could definitely come back to.



Lake Wanaka from Rob Bay




Rob Bay, Marina and Wanaka




Across from Rob Bay




Across from Rob Bay



The afternoon found us hiking part of the Lake Wanaka Outlet Track.  The track goes for miles but we hiked the section from the mouth of the Clutha River into Alberttown and back.  I am not sure of the distance but it was an evenly paced 2 1/2 hour hike.  The trail was mostly flat so it wasn't that difficult of a walk but it was extremely nice.  It is on the list "101 Things a Kiwi Must Do"

View of Lake Wanaka from mouth of Clutha River



View of Lake Wanaka from mouth of Clutha River




View of Lake Wanaka from mouth of Clutha River



 

The walk followed the Clutha River which starts here at Lake Wanaka and ends at the Pacific Ocean near Balclutha.  The river has a rich turquoise color to the water and that is derived from the glaciers in Mt. Aspiring National Park. They feed the rivers that flow into the lake, which acts as a settling pond between the sources and the start of the river, leaving the mineral rich water with its exquisite color.  The water is extremely clear. Clear-flowing glacial rivers are the rarest in the world.





 

Once we completed the walk we headed back to the campsite and settled in for the remaining of the day.  Two nights ago we were treated to the mountain changing color and taking on a white hue.

Well, tonight we had the pleasure of watching the mountain turn red.  Quite spectacular, we find ourselves being drawn to this place more and more.