11/29/18 – O

Today was probably the best day so far. The road was fairly easy, the distance was short, the weather was nice, the scenery was amazing. I was cycling leisurely, stopping often to take pictures, taking in the beautiful surroundings.

All the way from Makarora to Wanaka the road followed lake shores, first Lake Wanaka then Lake Hawea.

It was so nice riding beside the water that I even turned onto a gravel path that ran alongside Havea and Clutha Rivers, leading me right into Wanaka town.

Wanaka – my coup de coeur of this trip. The town itself is cute, busy and expensive, a preview of Queenstown, I would guess. The setting, however, is simply gorgeous. It sits on the edge of Wanaka Lake, surrounded by mountains.
I spent a couple of hours on the waterfront, just enjoying the view of calm waters and mountains.

In French water is “eau”, or “O”, as in one of the most critically acclaimed shows of Cirque du Soleil.

Today in numbers:

75 km – distance cycled
192km2 – area covered by Wanaka Lake, the fourth largest in New Zealand