Sunday, June 19, 2022
It's not summer down under
A local butcher
Sunrise from Cardrona Ski Run taken by Phoebe
We are slowly becoming native New Zealanders as it is now almost four weeks since we arrived here in Wanaka. Well, not actually. It’s so beautiful here yet so very cold, especially for we Arizonans who would be experiencing weather in the 100’s at this time of the year. Being the opposite season we are only two days away from the shortest day of the year and the official beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Sunrise was 8:20 this morning with Sunset at 5:08 this afternoon, giving us only a little over 8.5 hours of daylight for the day. The temps have been in the low 30’s to the mid 40’s Very normal for this time of the year.
Here is a little bit of an update on our driving around town. We’ve been using Dan or Annie’s car when we need transportation to the store, etc. I’ve been a little surprised how quickly I have gotten used to driving on the left side of the road. It’s all about paying attention ALL of the time. One rule I follow religiously: no phone, no radio. Joan has been very helpful reminding me to stay to left and so far so good. It has helped that the traffic is very light in Wanaka and no one seems to be in a rush. Interesting enough I have yet to see a cop car at all. Dan says they’re out there and in fact they have the legal right to pull you over for no reason and give you a random breathalyzer test. Can you imagine that in the US? Hopefully it does save lives. I know I must be on the left side 100% of the time, not 99%. This coming Tuesday Joan and I are taking a ride to Queenstown, about 75 miles south of here. We’ll report on this adventure next week.
On Thursday afternoon Annie asked us if we would like to go for about an hour ride to see the surrounding countryside and get a better understanding of the beauty of the landscape. It is hard for me to put into words how beautiful the area is, even though the trees have lost their leaves and the farmland has turned brown. Lake Wanaka has a natural outlet that begins a river, the Clutha. That exact spot has a park designed for picnicking , camping, fishing and swimming. An idyllic spot. We drove on to another lake, this time with a dam built in the 1950’s backing up Lake Hawea. Both of these lakes get their water from massive snow runoff drained from Mount Aspiring National Park. Even though we were only about 15 miles from hilly Wanaka the surrounding area is known as Hawea Flat, encompassing many many acres of farmland and pastures for cattle and sheep. Expansive and very scenic. And, of course, always majestic mountains in the background. A great way to spend a few hours in an afternoon.
Yesterday Dan and the family went snowboarding and skiing for the first time this season. The plan was to arrive back here at 3PM for us to babysit while Dan and Annie went to the movies and dinner. It’s always great to have them here at our rental but this time was the best. After dinner Phoebe, Malcie and I started playing poker and the night became raucous beyond belief. What started out as a quiet game soon became a blood thirsty take no prisoners battle. I have always hated to lose at anything but they moved it to another level. You would have thought the fake hundred dollar bills we were using were the real thing. The laughter and screaming was music to my ears. Phoebe was the big winner for the night but I look forward to a rematch.
More to come next week.
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