The following day we woke up and climbed for the better part of the day before stopping for lunch. As we ate our sandwiches - which by the way, have become pretty gourmet: cheese, salami, pickles, tomatoes, and avocado - a man gave us a flyer for Aspiring Campervan Park, a luxury holiday park with a sauna, hot tubs, wifi, lounge (w/ sky TV), kitchen, laundry, etc.. We decided 5 days without showering was quite enough and promptly checked into the site where we spent the rest of the day washing ourselves, our clothes, and catching up on internet work.
Our friend Joy from Takaka had arrived in Wanaka a day after us, so we got up early the next day and hiked up Mt. Iron to see beautiful views of Lake Wanaka. We've decided this is our favorite spot (although rivaling Golden Bay)...beautiful views, magnificent climbing, delicious food, and a low-key atmosphere.
Next we headed to Queenstown driving through mountains and vineyards. Central Otago is known for its wine, specifically the pinot noir, so we decided stopping at a vineyard was a must. We passed by Gibbston Valley, the largest vineyard here, but we were put off by the number of tour buses. Further down the main road, we veered off on a windy side road that hugged the cliff on one side and a ravine w/ roaring river below on the other. Slowly maneuvering our way up to Chard Farm we were greeted by a pink farmhouse with a Tuscan feel and a very nice gentleman with neon green glasses providing free tasting of their ten delicious wines. We asked questions, chatted, and soaked in the flavors of Central Otago. We left with one bottle of pinot (finished) and another of their juicy Sauvignon Blanc (not finished, only because we have no chilling device). That evening we explored Queenstown and promptly decided it was too touristy and impersonal, so headed to a quiet lakeside hill where we had a sprawling view and lawn for a picnic. By far, our best campsite yet!
In the morning, we scrapped climbing as it was 10am by the time we could tear ourselves away from the view, and drove straight to Castle Hill where we climbed for about 2 hours. One of the brilliant things about being in NZ this time of year is that you have daylight until 10pm, which makes it VERY difficult to go to bed early (especially given our new habit of watching a movie in the van) and even more difficult to wake up early! Yep - that's how cozy Aquarius is!
Castle Hill is PHENOMENAL. The Dalai Lama visited once and said it is one of the energy centers of the universe...you can truly feel this when you're there. It's a multi-dimensional, disorienting, inexplicable environment where boulders and galactic-shaped rocks emerge from grassy meadows. When you're on the hill, you hear a continuous chorus of sheep "baa-ing" and cows "moo-ing" amidst the strong gusts of wind. It's seriously magical, not to mention a true playground. There are so many problems to climb that it's impossible to wrap your head around it! For me (Dimity), the climbing is extremely fun but challenging given the very high starts, propensity to end in slopers, and the need to be an expert at mantling.
The next day we climbed all morning and were the first people in the reserve, thankfully, before the bus-loads of tourists came wandering through. Nolan climbed a total of 35 problems (23 in the two hours that I was napping) and is feeling it today, but is so incredibly excited!
We're currently in Christchurch making a serious effort to unload Aquarius earlier rather than later. Once we sell her (boooo!), we'll head back to Castle Hill with a rental car and spend the rest of our time here soaking up nature's energy and getting stronger. :)
Send us good vibes for selling our car!!
See facebook for pics!! Click here.
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