Wanaka - dazzling gold

Wanaka is my absolute number one destination in New Zealand, particularly at the end of April when the colours are simply dazzling, sometimes so vibrant that in photos they just don't look real! Autumn gold at its very very best!

This was really the colour of these massive poplars, found all along the shores of this beautiful lake with its backdrop of spectacular mountains, and yes, the sky was really that colour.

The weather was incredible, so warm that kids were swimming in the very shallow waters.

Never have we seen the lake so low, but it did mean that you could get out to parts of the lake which we had never been to before. It was incredible to see David and Dennis standing at least 20 metres from the shore at a beach where we often used to swim when Mark and David were really young.

Hopefully there will be some heavy rain before winter or there may be some power problems in the South Island. Apparently the low lakes are a result of very little snow melt and a very dry summer, certainly a concern to many!

The photographers are there in their dozens at the single tree which used to be out in the water and which we used to canoe around. Wonderful memories!  Now there can be wedding shots taken next to the tree, shots taken with people in the tree and sometimes even a pianist playing the most relaxing and beautiful music to match this idyllic spot. Can it get any better I asked myself?

However, best still is when the tourists have gone home and you have the tree and the entire place all to yourself. Then it is undeniably at its magnificent best!

I guess we get a bit boring with the walks we do in Wanaka.  I just can't bear to be there without a visit to the usually mighty Clutha River, the second longest river in New Zealand and the longest in the South Island. Believe it or not, it is the highest volume river in New Zealand and the swiftest according to Wikipedia. However, it certainly was a shadow of its former self on the day we walked along it.

This is not to say that it was not magnificent. It was!! It was stunningly beautiful and serene. I have never before seen reflections in this river. They were remarkable.

Of course, the colours in some places defied description. They were truly awesome, particularly this turquoise stretch of the river. We have seen this river in flood and have experienced a flooded walking track, so this certainly left us feeling worried, though at the same time excited by the sheer beauty of the area.

Further around the lake at our other favourite walkway, the colours of the trees were not so dominant but the contrast between the tussock on the hills and the puffy white clouds in the dark blue sky was nothing short of spectacular, almost unreal.

What a magical place this is! Probably we had the best views of Mount Aspiring that I have ever experienced. This mountain, just over 3000m is the highest mountain in New Zealand outside the Mount Cook region and it really looked splendid this morning with the lake and its lovely reflections in the foreground.

You even get to see Dennis and me 4 times in the next fantastic photo David took!! Fun, isn't it?

At one corner of the track we come to my favourite view down Lake Wanaka, absolutely breathtakingly beautiful on such a calm and clear day.

The cloud formations just added to its beauty. I just want to get back there as soon as possible!

On the way home, we just had to stop at Rippon Vineyard, not so much for the wine (though I must admit that I did have some tasters, but more for the fabulous views over the colourful vines contrasting with the deep blue of the sky and lake Wanaka.

We were in Wanaka on Anzac Day, a day to commemorate all New Zealanders killed in the war, and the date marking the anniversary of the landing of NZ and Australian soldiers on the Gallipoli Peninsula. I have often considered attending a dawn service but never managed to do it, but this time I did, and it was very moving indeed, not only the service with the reading of all the names of those who died from the Wanaka region, the Maori haka performed by local students, the playing of the last post as the biplane flew past as the sun started to rise

but also the breathtaking scenery. It was all very surreal. 

Looking over the tranquil waters of Lake Wanaka, savouring the lovely pastel shades, breathing in the freshest of fresh air, it was so hard to imagine those at war, and the many atrocities happening right now around the world. The words of John Lennon's song Imagine came to mind as I sat looking over this gorgeous sight.