I woke late and discovered with delight that my ankle had stopped hurting, and after packing up my gear headed to the DOC office to inquire about camping in the park. Here, I made a big mistake. As it turns out, camping is a highly controversial issue in New Zealand and for good reason. Kiwis would like it if people were free to camp anywhere, especially in the gorgeous national parks which provide millions of acres of scenic delights. Of course, if even a portion of the millions of tourists to New Zealand annually decided to ‘camp anywhere’ in the national parks, the parks would be a much different environment to discover. So when I asked the slightly grumpy DOC officer about camping at Kea Point on the 13th, I received the very firm instruction that camping in the park was allowed only at the huts, none of which were within a four hour walk from town. As I later found out from another, more open DOC officer, I should have just gone ahead and camped in the park, ensuring to pitch my tent only as dusk fell. I got the company rule at Mt Cook, and I got the practical insider’s advice later. No DOC officers patrol these walks overnight and if you are up with first light and hike out all your garbage, there won’t be any problems – the
slogan take only pictures, leave only footprints seems particularly apt. Disappointed and not particularly feeling like testing the system and thoroughness of the Mt Cook DOC officers, I decided to move on from Mt Cook. I walked to the only road in and out of Aoraki and stuck out the thumb, this time with no sign. Turns out signs are unnecessary and within 10 minutes I had a ride with a travelling businessman (remember this guy for my later blogs) all the way along Lake Pukaki to where the road forked away from Wanaka (my destination) to Christchurch (his destination). At a very convenient intersection where traffic from Mt Cook has a stop sign and where traffic from Christchurch is instructed to slow, I waited for around an hour, eventually pulling out a book and sticking out my thumb only as cars approached. This was the beginning of some bad luck with hitchhiking, and although a friendly German couple eventually picked me up, they were only able to take me 20km down the road to the small town of Twizel (pop. 1020), home to...nothing. On a slow section of the highway just outside of Twizel I stood for almost two hours before the German couple returned from the town and took me 30km further down the road to the even tinier town of Omarama, home to a whopping 320 people. They were unsure if they were staying the night, but I decided that to break my bad luck with hitchhiking, I would stay the night and see what the tiny town had to offer. I checked in at the Holiday Park and for only $15 (that’s only around 
$12CAD) I had my own site with access to all the amenities, including their showers and paid – but cheap – laundry facilities. I wandered down the road to the Lonely Planet recommended Wrinkly Ram Cafe and Restaurant and was delightfully surprised by the service, quality of food, and spectacular scenery from the covered front porch. Here I perched myself for over four hours, pounding out a couple blog entries and reading while enjoying delicious coffee and a tasty chicken burger. I settled in for a quiet night back at the campground of blog writing (I got three done and posted that day) and laundry before getting back to the tent.
slogan take only pictures, leave only footprints seems particularly apt. Disappointed and not particularly feeling like testing the system and thoroughness of the Mt Cook DOC officers, I decided to move on from Mt Cook. I walked to the only road in and out of Aoraki and stuck out the thumb, this time with no sign. Turns out signs are unnecessary and within 10 minutes I had a ride with a travelling businessman (remember this guy for my later blogs) all the way along Lake Pukaki to where the road forked away from Wanaka (my destination) to Christchurch (his destination). At a very convenient intersection where traffic from Mt Cook has a stop sign and where traffic from Christchurch is instructed to slow, I waited for around an hour, eventually pulling out a book and sticking out my thumb only as cars approached. This was the beginning of some bad luck with hitchhiking, and although a friendly German couple eventually picked me up, they were only able to take me 20km down the road to the small town of Twizel (pop. 1020), home to...nothing. On a slow section of the highway just outside of Twizel I stood for almost two hours before the German couple returned from the town and took me 30km further down the road to the even tinier town of Omarama, home to a whopping 320 people. They were unsure if they were staying the night, but I decided that to break my bad luck with hitchhiking, I would stay the night and see what the tiny town had to offer. I checked in at the Holiday Park and for only $15 (that’s only around 
$12CAD) I had my own site with access to all the amenities, including their showers and paid – but cheap – laundry facilities. I wandered down the road to the Lonely Planet recommended Wrinkly Ram Cafe and Restaurant and was delightfully surprised by the service, quality of food, and spectacular scenery from the covered front porch. Here I perched myself for over four hours, pounding out a couple blog entries and reading while enjoying delicious coffee and a tasty chicken burger. I settled in for a quiet night back at the campground of blog writing (I got three done and posted that day) and laundry before getting back to the tent.The night off from hitchhiking seemed to do the trick and when I stuck out my thumb the next morning I waited only 20 minutes before I was picked up by a Kiwi going all the way to Wanaka. As you quickly realise when hitchhiking, there are all sorts of people out there and there is no one type of person who picks up hitchhikers. This time I was picked up by a well to do farmer and land owner who was on his way to Wanaka to tend to his vacation home. He was an excellent source of information on the New Zealand economy and his background in farming leant an interesting perspective on recent economic changes. He dropped me off at Wanaka’s iSite and headed off for unknown destinations. iSites are New Zealand’s 
answer to consistent tourism information, not intended to push deals and packages on anyone. While different cities in Canada all might have their own local information centre (usually marked with the universal italic letter ‘i’), iSites are the same in every city of New Zealand, offering booking services for local attractions and accommodation, as well as attractions in the nearby regions and information for travelling the entire country. They are highly useful and their standardisation lends a sense of order and uniformity regardless of New Zealand destination. I checked with the local YHA but found cheaper accommodation at the Wanaka Lakeview Holiday Park for only $16/night in my tent.
answer to consistent tourism information, not intended to push deals and packages on anyone. While different cities in Canada all might have their own local information centre (usually marked with the universal italic letter ‘i’), iSites are the same in every city of New Zealand, offering booking services for local attractions and accommodation, as well as attractions in the nearby regions and information for travelling the entire country. They are highly useful and their standardisation lends a sense of order and uniformity regardless of New Zealand destination. I checked with the local YHA but found cheaper accommodation at the Wanaka Lakeview Holiday Park for only $16/night in my tent.In Wanaka I found a quiet town of only 3500, hitting far above its weight in activities and attractions. The gateway to the famous Mt Aspiring National park, Wanaka is also home to countless adventure activities and is often seen as the cheaper, less exploited version of Queenstown (more on that
in another blog to come). I ended up staying in Wanaka for five nights and enjoyed every minute of it. As I was getting settled in the town, Wanaka was winding up for Challenge Wanaka, their annual triathlon event drawing hundreds from around the world for sprints, single events, and a full triathlon race. Tents were in various stages of completion in the city’s central park, staging was being readied to cross above the road, and local businesses were gearing up for a large influx of tourists and competitors. I headed for an internet cafe and filled my family in on the drama of the previous couple of days before enjoying a quiet night on the campsite, catching a bit of television in the communal TV room.
in another blog to come). I ended up staying in Wanaka for five nights and enjoyed every minute of it. As I was getting settled in the town, Wanaka was winding up for Challenge Wanaka, their annual triathlon event drawing hundreds from around the world for sprints, single events, and a full triathlon race. Tents were in various stages of completion in the city’s central park, staging was being readied to cross above the road, and local businesses were gearing up for a large influx of tourists and competitors. I headed for an internet cafe and filled my family in on the drama of the previous couple of days before enjoying a quiet night on the campsite, catching a bit of television in the communal TV room.The next day I had some plans for serious sightseeing. Actually; no, not at all. Wanaka was clearly a quiet town uninfluenced by visiting thrill seekers and I quickly fell into the same groove, relaxing and taking it easy. Unlike my European trip, it was already clear New Zealand was going to be quite relaxing; and that is more than fine by me. This day was supposed to be fun filled, but one thing was cancelled and there was a mix up at another, so both were postponed until the next day. I occupied my evening walking 
out to Waterfall Creek, following a walking trail along the beach from Wanaka an easy few kilometres and was rewarded with wonderful views of the town, the rest of Lake Wanaka and surrounding mountains. Misnamed, the end of the trail does not have a wonderful waterfall, but does have a lovely creek to explore. I found a log straddling the creek on the beach and perched myself on it enjoying another supper of OSM bar. I spent some time skipping rocks on the serene lake and wandered around the creek. 
I practiced being a good tourist and tried to rescue a trout stuck in the stream, placing him in the lake to swim free, but was disappointed when he simply sank belly up to the bottom (but not before I got a photo with all 15cm of him to prove I did some form of fishing in the region famous for its trout fishing). I enjoyed a slow walk back on the beach as the sun set in a clear sky over the mountain peaks, reflected off the calm lake. A white faced heron even cooperated with me for an impromptu photo shoot, calmly fishing at the lake’s edge while allowing me to approach to within a couple metres to shoot numerous photos. What was supposed to be an exciting day became a relaxing and peaceful day, wonderful either way.
out to Waterfall Creek, following a walking trail along the beach from Wanaka an easy few kilometres and was rewarded with wonderful views of the town, the rest of Lake Wanaka and surrounding mountains. Misnamed, the end of the trail does not have a wonderful waterfall, but does have a lovely creek to explore. I found a log straddling the creek on the beach and perched myself on it enjoying another supper of OSM bar. I spent some time skipping rocks on the serene lake and wandered around the creek. 
I practiced being a good tourist and tried to rescue a trout stuck in the stream, placing him in the lake to swim free, but was disappointed when he simply sank belly up to the bottom (but not before I got a photo with all 15cm of him to prove I did some form of fishing in the region famous for its trout fishing). I enjoyed a slow walk back on the beach as the sun set in a clear sky over the mountain peaks, reflected off the calm lake. A white faced heron even cooperated with me for an impromptu photo shoot, calmly fishing at the lake’s edge while allowing me to approach to within a couple metres to shoot numerous photos. What was supposed to be an exciting day became a relaxing and peaceful day, wonderful either way.On the 16th all my plans panned out as they were supposed to the day before and a wonderful day was set before me. I started my day with my new friend Glen, a former local of Wanaka who is doing his rounds through New Zealand promoting his business of teaching marketing through new social networking media. We enjoyed a wonderful full NZ breakfast and a typically delicious coffee at the Cheeky Monkey Cafe. I wandered back to the campsite where I was picked up at 11 by the shuttle for Skydive Wanaka and was off to the airport. I was going to test my nerve and bank account, ditching a perfectly good plane at 15,000ft with a guy and a parachute strapped to my back. I knew I wanted to skydive and it’s not 
every day you get the opportunity, but in New Zealand you can skydive just about anywhere. I chose Wanaka because of their perfect safety record (three words you like hearing before jumping out of a plane), the scenery, and their relatively small size. I could have waited until Queenstown but heard rave reviews for Skydive Wanaka and spent my $395 there. $295 gets you out the door at 12,000ft, and the extra $100 gives you 3,000ft and 15 seconds more freefall. Go big or go home...so I sprung for the 15,000 and before long I was circling above the Wanaka region in a small plane, in an extensive harness with a very confident tandem skydive master tightly fastened to my harness. I took confidence in the fact he had over 15,000 total jumps under his belt, and even greater confidence in his calm and casual manner. In fact, the whole experience with Skydive Wanaka was wonderful. From the moment I got in the shuttle van and gave the driver my name, I was “David” to everyone. Not once did someone squeak out of calling me by name and it was a refreshing experience to finally have a name at a tourism operation. The main benefit of Skydive Wanaka is its smaller size than the more popular Queenstown based operation. All the staff was friendly and smiled sincerely; I could tell they enjoyed what they were doing and their cheerful mood contributed to my confidence. But back to me in the plane! At 15,000ft, the door opens and you watch the people before you slip out the door into the abyss below, slowly moving down the bench until it’s your turn. The tandem master sits on the edge of the plane, which of course leaves you sitting on...nothing. Ass hanging out over 15,000ft of nothing, you assume the correct skydiving position, and out you go, tumbling through a couple somersaults before stabilising in the commonly seen spread eagle position. The flight down lasts 60 seconds from 15,000ft before the chute is opened at 5000ft, and it’s a minute of pure joy. Heights are not an issue; you’re so far up it looks like viewing a map. Backing out is not an issue; communication in the plane is difficult at best, and no refunds are given. Once you’re at 15,000ft, the only thing to do is enjoy the flight down. I’ve heard people speak of the joy of weightlessness which is technically correct, but I found holding my arms in the correct position difficult enough the sense of weightlessness was lost and it just felt like standing in an extremely powerful hurricane with winds of 200km/hr. Breathing must be done through the nose or the pressure difference between your open mouth and your nose make inhalation difficult – something not explained to me causing me minor difficulty in breathing. At 5000ft and with little warning, the chute is opened and you are jerked into your harness which is quickly readjusted to give you a little more wiggle room and to increase comfort, allowing you to focus on the enjoyment of the slow flight to the ground. I have to say I have no idea how long the parachute flight lasted, I was hopped up enough on adrenaline that nothing really mattered, least of all time. The tandem master showed off a bit by demonstrating some aerial acrobatics and sharing some positive G force before instructing on how to land. Both passenger and tandem master approach the ground with legs up, ready to slide to a stop on the rear, but if the approach is correct and the winds cooperate, a landing can be accomplished standing. Most injuries occur when the passenger doesn’t put their legs parallel to the ground and roll their ankles as they try to run upon touching the ground. The landing in this case was a perfect standing touchdown and I walked back to the hanger in a trance before realising I had the typical dumb grin on my face, the kind that usually hangs around for a couple hours after your first skydiving experience. I didn’t opt for any photo or video options as they start at $140, but the memory of the experience alone is still strong and I’m sure I will always remember my first skydive.
every day you get the opportunity, but in New Zealand you can skydive just about anywhere. I chose Wanaka because of their perfect safety record (three words you like hearing before jumping out of a plane), the scenery, and their relatively small size. I could have waited until Queenstown but heard rave reviews for Skydive Wanaka and spent my $395 there. $295 gets you out the door at 12,000ft, and the extra $100 gives you 3,000ft and 15 seconds more freefall. Go big or go home...so I sprung for the 15,000 and before long I was circling above the Wanaka region in a small plane, in an extensive harness with a very confident tandem skydive master tightly fastened to my harness. I took confidence in the fact he had over 15,000 total jumps under his belt, and even greater confidence in his calm and casual manner. In fact, the whole experience with Skydive Wanaka was wonderful. From the moment I got in the shuttle van and gave the driver my name, I was “David” to everyone. Not once did someone squeak out of calling me by name and it was a refreshing experience to finally have a name at a tourism operation. The main benefit of Skydive Wanaka is its smaller size than the more popular Queenstown based operation. All the staff was friendly and smiled sincerely; I could tell they enjoyed what they were doing and their cheerful mood contributed to my confidence. But back to me in the plane! At 15,000ft, the door opens and you watch the people before you slip out the door into the abyss below, slowly moving down the bench until it’s your turn. The tandem master sits on the edge of the plane, which of course leaves you sitting on...nothing. Ass hanging out over 15,000ft of nothing, you assume the correct skydiving position, and out you go, tumbling through a couple somersaults before stabilising in the commonly seen spread eagle position. The flight down lasts 60 seconds from 15,000ft before the chute is opened at 5000ft, and it’s a minute of pure joy. Heights are not an issue; you’re so far up it looks like viewing a map. Backing out is not an issue; communication in the plane is difficult at best, and no refunds are given. Once you’re at 15,000ft, the only thing to do is enjoy the flight down. I’ve heard people speak of the joy of weightlessness which is technically correct, but I found holding my arms in the correct position difficult enough the sense of weightlessness was lost and it just felt like standing in an extremely powerful hurricane with winds of 200km/hr. Breathing must be done through the nose or the pressure difference between your open mouth and your nose make inhalation difficult – something not explained to me causing me minor difficulty in breathing. At 5000ft and with little warning, the chute is opened and you are jerked into your harness which is quickly readjusted to give you a little more wiggle room and to increase comfort, allowing you to focus on the enjoyment of the slow flight to the ground. I have to say I have no idea how long the parachute flight lasted, I was hopped up enough on adrenaline that nothing really mattered, least of all time. The tandem master showed off a bit by demonstrating some aerial acrobatics and sharing some positive G force before instructing on how to land. Both passenger and tandem master approach the ground with legs up, ready to slide to a stop on the rear, but if the approach is correct and the winds cooperate, a landing can be accomplished standing. Most injuries occur when the passenger doesn’t put their legs parallel to the ground and roll their ankles as they try to run upon touching the ground. The landing in this case was a perfect standing touchdown and I walked back to the hanger in a trance before realising I had the typical dumb grin on my face, the kind that usually hangs around for a couple hours after your first skydiving experience. I didn’t opt for any photo or video options as they start at $140, but the memory of the experience alone is still strong and I’m sure I will always remember my first skydive.How do you follow up skydiving? I don’t think you really can beat an experience like that so I opted for a bit of relaxation and headed for the Cinema Paradiso, a Wanaka tourist attraction in its own right. Not just any cinema, here you enjoy a movie in an odd assortment of couches, lay-z-boys, airline seats, or even a car, while eating homemade ice cream, cookies, and any variety of drinks. Around the middle of the film, the lights come back up and you take the opportunity to stretch your legs, get some freshly 
baked cookies, or pick up a meal you ordered before the movie started which you are invited to take back into the theatre on a tray and enjoy during the rest of the film. I was at the cinema for Sherlock Holmes and I ordered the chicken quesadilla and a delicious (and still oven warm) homemade double chocolate cookie which accompanied me back into the theatre for the second half. The theatre is all about the experience of the cinema visit, and from the homemade goodies to the eclectic chairs, the Cinema Paradiso is purely original. Adding to the experience is the owner/projectionist, a man who refuses to properly study the art of projection and routinely messes up. The mix ups are accompanied by an apology and a promise to quickly right things. In my case, a completely different movie started and was promptly shut off, the house lights coming up with a shout of, “shit, my bad, I don’t even know what film that is. Gimme a sec!” Transitions between reels (because of course films are still stored on multiple reels) range from perfect to completely messed up, once in his first showing of the original Star Wars skipping from reel one to reel five and not even realising his mistake, never having seen the film before. To get mad at such mistakes would be silly though, it’s all part of the character of the cinema, and frankly, the projectionist is the funniest part of a visit. Love it; recommend it; and will definitely go back if in Wanaka again.
baked cookies, or pick up a meal you ordered before the movie started which you are invited to take back into the theatre on a tray and enjoy during the rest of the film. I was at the cinema for Sherlock Holmes and I ordered the chicken quesadilla and a delicious (and still oven warm) homemade double chocolate cookie which accompanied me back into the theatre for the second half. The theatre is all about the experience of the cinema visit, and from the homemade goodies to the eclectic chairs, the Cinema Paradiso is purely original. Adding to the experience is the owner/projectionist, a man who refuses to properly study the art of projection and routinely messes up. The mix ups are accompanied by an apology and a promise to quickly right things. In my case, a completely different movie started and was promptly shut off, the house lights coming up with a shout of, “shit, my bad, I don’t even know what film that is. Gimme a sec!” Transitions between reels (because of course films are still stored on multiple reels) range from perfect to completely messed up, once in his first showing of the original Star Wars skipping from reel one to reel five and not even realising his mistake, never having seen the film before. To get mad at such mistakes would be silly though, it’s all part of the character of the cinema, and frankly, the projectionist is the funniest part of a visit. Love it; recommend it; and will definitely go back if in Wanaka again.
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