Day 4 : Wanaka

Wanaka is located in Central Otago. Its lake, Lake Wanaka is the fourth largest lake in New Zealand.

That morning, we had eggs with our bread for breakfast. We also cooked fried rice to pack for lunch.

Enjoying breakfast by the window ... See the lake in the distant

It was a very cold morning, with the sun missing. We drove to the lake. It seemed a bit drab and grey compared to Lake Tekapo the day before. We attributed this to the downcast weather.

Lake Wanaka

Another shot

A flock of ducks swimming in the clear waters Look at the mirror reflection of the mountain and vegetation in the water ... wow ...

Nevertheless, it was still picturesque and peaceful.

We then made our way to the Stuart Landborough's Puzzling World. The entrance fee to the Illusion Rooms was NZD12.00. There was an extra charge if we wanted to try the outdoor maze. But we thought it would be too cold to be running around in circles outdoors. Lol. This is my second visit here to the Puzzling World.

Well, there were 4 Illusion Rooms to go to - the Hologram Hall, the Hall of the Following Faces, The Ames Illusion Room and the Tilted House.

Hall of Following Faces
As you walked along the wall, you felt as if the faces were following you

The toilet was interesting with murals decorating the wall. Whereas at the cafe, there were various puzzles to try out. I played one called The Great Kiwi puzzle, but did not manage to solve it.

Have you got the solution?

We went back to YHA for a leisurely lunch.

Fried Rice The rice was stir-fried with onions, eggs, shredded cabbage and bacon.

We bought a tub of Meadow Fresh Fresh n' Fruity Yogurt in Wildly Berry flavour at NZD5.20.

... And so we ate yogurt with Kiwi fruits ....

In the afternoon, we drove to the National Toys and Transport Museum, where 30,000 unique and fascinating items which comprised of aircraft, cars, trucks, clockwork, porcelain dolls, teddy bears and many more were housed.

Outside the museum

After that, we drove around a residential neighbourhood along Lakeside road. Seriously, I was fascinated with the modern homes facing the lake. How wonderful it would be to live in one of such houses!!

We also managed to walk around the small town and visited the supermarket before we went back to prepare our dinner.

Dinner was fancy that night. It was rather ironical that we cooked hearty meals here that we did not bother to do at home.

We had ...

Mussels with Fresh White Button Mushroom Stirfry
It was an interesting combination. We had in there some garlic and ginger, oyster and soy sauce. It was yum nevertheless.

Broccoli and Beef Stirfry
Somehow beef is delicious in this country. Coupled with the sweetness and freshness of the broccoli, this dish was the favourite that night.

Ginger Chicken Soup
It had in there some garlic, strips of ginger, chicken and egg. It really warmed us up in the cold weather.

Good food + Good companionship + Great scenery = An Enjoyable Holiday. What more can I ask for?