The Wanaka

I know it's been a while since I posted, but I've been moving around a lot and it's always difficult to find the time to sit in an internet cafe and upload hundreds of photos. :-)
I will pick up where I left off, which was at Fox Glacier. On March 1, I departed Fox via bus and headed south, through the Haast Pass and Mt. Aspiring National Park, to Wanaka.

Along the drive, we stopped at this waterfall (it is actually large... hard to capture in this photo)

 The terrain became very mountainous.

Wanaka is a small resort town situated in the mountains at the southeastern tip of Lake Wanaka, and is celebrated by locals as being less commercialized and touristy than nearby Queenstown. Upon checking into my hostel in town, I decided to go for a run along the lake. It was a lovely, sunny afternoon and I wish I had taken my camera as I had some great views along the trail.

That evening, I joined some new friends for a movie at the famous Cinema Paradiso, a retro-fitted theater featuring couches, armchairs, and even old cars (see pics below) instead of the usual movie theater seats. Halfway through the film, the movie was paused and we had a break to purchase fresh, warm home-made cookies. They were delicious!
New friends and their seats at the cinema:

A view from the back of the cinema looking towards the screen. The guy in the white shirt in the middle has a laugh even louder than mine, if you can imagine. (The film was an Australian comedy, "A Few Best Men.")

The next day I grabbed a bike and went back to the trail along the lake. It was cloudier and cooler than the day before but I still enjoyed the ride.

Next stop: Queenstown!

More to come soon.