big south trip: day 5

Day 5
Arrowtown to Omarama

Woke up to a thick layer of frost on our windshield and no heater with which to warm up the car. Having been unable to find a scraper in Christchurch before we left, Ann had to settle for the tool that scrapes off window decals, which was much smaller but eventually created a hole big enough to see through. We drove the car down the street to the old-time shopping area where it could soak up the sunshine while we tasted fudge and looked in longingly at the creperie, then headed back into Queenstown (for a place that I hate, I sure do find myself there often) with the intention of sampling a Fergburger, renowned all over NZ but available only in Queenstown. I must admit that my Bombay Chicken burger was both delicious and massive, a steal at NZ$12 consiering that I saw fish and chips selling for $19 a block away.

A chilly start to the day in Arrowtown

We've been taking our time meandering back home (you can drive between Christchurch and Invercargill in a day, easily, but where's the fun in that?), so today's 4 hours of driving was one of our longer days on the road. I'm rapidly gaining confidence behind the wheel, as New Zealand contains virtually no roads that are both straight and flat (or, really, either one of these), which is part of its charm if anxiety-inducing at times. The drive is always one of the best parts about travelling in this country. Today we drove through high mountain passes, along deep gorgeous with vibrant blue water, and past mile after mile of vineyards. Lovely. 

Our sweet as breakfast/lunch at Fergburger

Our drive was broken up with a stop in Wanaka, another town on the edge of a gorgeous mountain lake, but much less glitzy and busy than Queenstown. The main attraction for us there was a place that I'd visited in 1998 with my family and considered one of the highlights of our trip: Stuart Landsborough's Puzzling World, where we had a blast finding our way around the giant maze and through the optical illusion rooms. I was pleased to have remembered parts of it from ten years ago, and glad that it was still as much fun :) 

A very enticing toilet seat at the Puzzling World

Just as the sun was setting, we pulled up at the Buscot Station backpackers, a homely little hostel on a farm 9 kms from Omarama (o-MARE-a-ma...we've been corrected), a very small town that didn't quite warrant a stop, as we were anxious to arrive before it was completely dark. As it is, we almost drove through an open gate into a field trying to find the hostel, which isn't very well signed from the turn-off. We're surrounded on all sides by mountains, so the sunrise in the morning should be incredible if we're up early enough to see it (which isn't likely). Having been dependent on bus routes in my earlier travels, I've never really stayed in such a remote hostel, but I'm really liking being so rural at the moment. We're staying in a room with two girls from Switzerland, whose accent even Ann took to be German, and there are two guys in a room down the hall, but otherwise the place is empty. It's just too bad that tomorrow we have to return home to the city :(

-Rachel