Relief from the up and down.

January 30th

Fern Burn Hut to Wanaka

Distance: 24km

Elevation: quick 450m descent then flat

Steps: 41,000

Time: 7:40am-4:00pm

So 9 days on the trot, we decided this would be the last before a rest day. Plus, most of today would be flat, so that's kinda like a rest day, right?

We are wiped right now.

We did make it to Wanaka, we're checked in at a backpackers. They put us into the special "TA hiker" room, which is I think partly to keep the regular backpackers out of our hair, and partly to keep us out of the regular backpackers' way :D

We also went out to dinner - did you know that Wanaka has an amazing food truck village? If we hadn't had the strong recommendation for the chicken ringing in our ears, we probably would have taken 20 minutes to decide which one to eat at. And we are definitely going back to try other places tomorrow.

The hike today was down the same brown hills that we've been hiking through for the past few days

But then at least we got some beech forest to cheer us on. Speaking of cheering us on, a cheeky miromiro (tomtit) came to inspect us and demand a photo.

The track continued on alongside this beautiful little stream, that on a slightly warmer day, or maybe just later in the day, would have very much tempted us for a swim. As it was, and also knowing we had many kilometers to travel today, we resisted the temptation.

But it did get warmer later in the day - whoo boy did it get warmer!  By the time we were doing the round-the-lake walk  (Glendhu Bay Track) to get to Wanaka, we were practically sweating just standing, let alone walking with packs (okay maybe that's just Eliza?)

The views aren't too bad, though!

Honestly we did not give the views of the lake or the mountains their due credit - we were both pretty much eyes on the track, pushing ourselves to get to accommodation. Just about at the start of the lakeside track, we had met Jack, a SOBO'er who told us about the backpackers we're staying in - the Wanaka Backpackers Bothy (bothy being a Scottish term for a mountain cabin) - and the way they take care of TA'ers. So thanks, Jack, for the tip! He also told us about the lakeside campsite shop we were almost at, and put the idea of ice cream into Vaughan's head (it worked, and the ice cream was delicious).

Since I know you're all wanting to know, the fried chicken was delicious, and no we didn't get anywhere near through all of the fries. The coleslaw disappeared first, not surprisingly. We did go to a nearby bar afterward to have a craft beer, and practically fell asleep in the booth - a combination of full stomachs, beer, warm day, and tired bodies.

Like I wrote earlier, we're going back to the food trucks tomorrow, maybe for burritos, souvlaki, fresh fruit ice cream, coffee and bagels, or "south asian" - which even caters for Eliza and co. who have the genetic dislike of coriander

We're both barely hanging on to consiousness at 8pm, waiting for our laundry to finish so we can hang it out.

The weather forecast for the next week is high temperatures then heavy rain. The next 4 day-ish section is exposed and includes a river crossing, and traveling up a river for several hours. We always try to keep health and safety in mind so we have some decisions to make tomorrow.

Let us know in comments or emails if there's anything about the last few days, our upcoming sections, or even our zero day in Wanaka that you want to hear about :)

Seriously, we love getting the comments from everyone, they always make us smile :)