Puzzling world

  Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand
Sunday, May 11, 2008

Saturday, 7.15am and we're off to Wanaka - if only we had a little more sleep, but that is what the bus is for! First stop is Lake Matheson, near the Fox Glacier. Emmerline is doing her sky dive here this morning. Its a beautiful sunny and clear morning. The lake has the perfect reflection of mt cook, the highest point in NZ.

Mt cook from fox glacier

We then kick back with a cup of tea and enjoy the views as we await Emmerline and the others return from the sky.

We continue along the Haast pass through the national park, along the Haast river, past Lake Wanaka eventually making it to Wanaka for the early afternoon. Unfortunately Gareth (from South America) is away until tomorrow, so we have to explore Wanaka for ourselves.

Lakes to Wanaka

Sunday before leaving for Queenstown, the activity and party capital of the south, we head to puzzling world!

Help - its falling

Puzzling world has a room of illusions and a maze. Some of the illusions are amazing. One of the rooms it is nearly impossible to balance with the sloping floor and strangely placed objects completely disorientating you.

Puzzling world

There is a chair lift which looks like it is sliding up hill against gravity when you sit on it. Completely an optical illusion and its really going downwards. Then on to the maze. There are four corners, the aim being to make it to the four colours of the corner and then the exit. Its a lot harder than you would think! We opted for just finding the corners and not worrying about the order! Then as a reward at the end is a bacon sandwich for breakfast! (also more puzzles should you so wish!). Even the toilets have a long row of roman style toilets outside where you can sit and join the Romans!

More puzzling world

Onward we continue to the beautiful lakes of Lake Dunston. Then we stop at the Kawarau bridge, the old bridge to Queenstown to see a film of the history of Bungee and let the crazy people sign up with AJ Hackett bungees and then watch the and ones jumping today. The film shows AJ Hackett launching himself off the Eiffel tower among other places! The bridge is the oldest commercial bungee site. As we arrive Caroline gets off the bus - 'I'm going to jump' - what - is she crazy!!! So after the film she disappears to get ready and we head out to the viewing platform. It makes me nervous for her just watching the people standing at the top of the platform. Its a 40m drop, one of the smaller Bungees, and its over a river. Still enough to freak me out. one poor girl is in tears at the end edge of the platform. Her father mocks her and does a fearless dive straight off the platform. This doesn't help her as she retreats. Finally its Caroline on the platform. She goes without hesitation. 1-2-3 wobble and off! The video records screams, but i think they may have been mine on her behalf!! Her screams starts as the bungee pulls her back up and the swinging commences. Then she's just dangling upside down as the rescue boat comes to retrieve her from the rope. All done here. The completely mad ones have signed up for Nevis - the second highest Bungee in the world at 134m. Even Julia's signed up, doubly crazy! Onward into Queenstown.Its a pretty down, set by a lake surrounded by snow capped mountains. I go and watch a canyon swing video and sign up for mine tomorrow - the fear has started already. The video of Jack Osbourne and Cronies doing it was meant to help - it just showed quite how high up the platform is above the canyon! Its free, i won it, I've got to do it. So I'm signed up for 11am tomorrow. Oh my!