The town of Fantasy - Wanaka

21 - 23 Sept 2011

One of the biggest missions to do in Wanaka was the freefall. It spent me about NZD500 for the DVD and   Picture CD package at the height of 12,000ft. You can get a 20-dollars discount if you pre-book online. For more information about the package, please visit http://www.skydivewanaka.com/prices-and-packages. It was a real fun to fly in the sky, make poses in front of the camera despite the strong wind, and enjoy the spectacular view below my feet.

The skydive started with a short flight which brought me up to the sky. It was a small aircraft which carried about 15 passengers (each group was comprised of an instructor, a camera man, and a skydiver). There was no chair, but one long bench on each side of the aircraft. The instructor explained Lake Hawea, Lake Wanaka and Clutha River seen through the windows. 

He then started to put the gears on. I was the second group in that trip. I waited excitedly for my turn. I had been previously coached to lean my head on the instructor's shoulder when we did the jump, and to cross my legs behind him until he tapped my shoulder and then we started to pose in front of the camera for 45seconds. Out of my expectation, it was damn hard to move my hands due to the strong wind. After 45seconds, we made the slow descent to the land by parachute. Finally, the dvd and cd were given and the exciting morning ended with the video watching at the waiting hall. I can't imagine my flabby face turned out to be so ugly in the pictures and video. 

Out of all BBHs in Wanaka, Wanaka Bakpaka stands out most, for its value for price. It is situated just beside the lake which gives the guests a fantastic view of the lake and the town. I loved to have my breakfast at the barbecue area where I did the sun bathing while enjoying the view in front of me.

From Wanaka town, follow the lake shore to the right, past the marina, and on to Eely Point. Eely point is a popular, sheltered boating and picnicking area. Carrying on round the point for another five minutes takes you to Bremmer Bay, a good family swimming spot. It was a rainy and cloudy day when I was here. Despite the poor weather, the reflection on the calm puddles resulted from the low tide looked extremely stunning.

The second mission done was visiting The Puzzling World. It offers the world's first "3-D" Great maze, incredible Illusion Rooms, a Puzzle Centre/Cafe, large gift shop, accentric architecture and the intriguing Psychic Challenges. For more information, please visit http://www.puzzlingworld.co.nz/. It was a shame that I was the only one not being able to find the exit successfully among 5 of us after 1.5 hours.

Optionally, if you are a toys lover, Toy Museum may be your best place to retrieve your childhood memory.

The Transport Museum is located on the same street as the Toy Museum is. You may find interesting antique vehicles here. I am not someone who is fancy in visiting museums. Hence I didn't really enjoy my time in these two museums.

Instead of taking highway 6, I took the other option which brought me to one of New Zealand's oldest hotels, Cardrona Hotel on the way to Arrowtown. I walked into the hotel and I came to an outdoor bar with delightful cottage garden views.

For more information, please visit http://www.cardronahotel.co.nz/