Traipsing out of Wonderland...

...and into a wonderworld! so far in my six month stint in wanaka i have got to explore a few other scenic gems in the deep south (thats otago to you other lovely kiwis).

my friend/flatmate gina and i have sometimes gotten restless during our small town residence. i feel bad saying it, but i guess you stop admiring the spectacualr beauty that every fresh face to town notices and start to feel a tad claustrophobic. this is especially true in the sense of feeling landlocked. even though wanaka has a lake, the sea is my anchor. around the 1st few days of spring we both were craving the sight, smell and feel of the sea.

so, on one overcast morning in wanaka, jeans and i along with our other friend emma, ventured out to the wild west coast. destination: haast.

After blinking and almost missing the classic kiwi town centre of haast (which consisted of a dairy, tea rooms/takeaway and a pub!) we drove a few more kms to the beach with itching toes...

Not having spent much time at west coast beaches we were amused at the gorse-ridden walkway to the beach, surrounded by paddocks of miniture horses and half fallen down shacks.

Who wears stockings to the beach?!

I definitely had to loose those on the soft sand, but as typical west coast weather goes, it was overcast and windy.

But we didn't care, loving it in the icy salt water

...and played at the cold coast for a good 10 minutes before we froze our toes off and retreated to the car. even though the west coast doesnt have the same peachy pristine visage to it like the east coast beaches, the contrasting colours and untamed atmosphere actually make it

worth it.

****

another spring morning, after going on my daily ritual of walking around mt iron and running home, i got a call from my boss alisha at base backpackers telling me to get to the airport in 20 minutes... im going on a flight to milford sound!

talk about the perks of working in tourism. so off i went in a flurry to the wanaka airport and pretty much boarded the 6 seater plane straight away... 'bagsed' the front seat!

flying over mount aspiring and surrounding snowy ranges, westward

starting our decent into the sounds, greener than ive seen in a while. i got to do a boat cruise as well, which i have done with my bestie monique at the start of this year. it wasn't the same without her... though the best part was seeing dolphies in the water! my favourite animal.

again, here's west coast weather for ya, it started to rain on the way out

and i found somewhere over the rainbow!

****

our last little excursion was to dunedin for a couple of days. we became students again, crashing with fellow student friends in a typical dunedin flat with 5 boys. i have visited them a fair bit over the past few months, but i think gina may have supressed her former grunge student lifestyle and was a little shocked at the state of their abode.

again drawn to the beaches, jeans and i visited aramoana with matt to take a look at the surf...

it was a teensy bit windy, and offshore so no waves for matty to surf. but doesn't gina look like a little pixie blowing in the wind?!

we found the surf at st. claire's beach

along with an odd looking cylindrical concrete structure

what's left of the st. claire pier

after the day spent at the dunedin beaches and the nights re-living our student days it was time to head back to work - 3 hours drive away.

over the weekend we kept hearing the rumour of the worst storm in 100 years to hit otago, the storm the size of australia! not thinking much of it in the spring weather we hit the road in the trusty (or not so trusty) mazda familia who struggled to start when leaving the city. not so long out of town, we started to rub our eyes when we saw white pieces of rain float by the car window... soon the whole country side turned from green to white and the snow got snowier!

stopped in milton for a frollick

magical.

much loved adventures xxx

Playing with the moon

luna inspired beauties...

love to my beautiful mother for sending these to me :)

xxx

When in Winter in Wanaka

this could well be the very first year ever i had ever been looking forward to the blustery blues of winter. ideas of snuggling inside a homely abode sewing bandeeze's and crocheting scarfs at night while shredding the snow in the daytime... mmm! of course my ideas tend to go unfinished and at the start of spring i am left with 2 rows of a crochet scarf, half a bandeeze (that is, a pretty bandanna for keeping toasty up the mountain) and an apartment that is starting to resemble a student flat. but isn't that the sign of an exhilarating and eventful winter season?

my winter life of love...

On the shore of Lake Wanaka

Sunset over the Mount Aspiring Ranges

One of the first mornings in my new apartment before i had curtains i awoke early to see this spectacular view outside my window!

A glorious snowy view from our front balcony

An attempt to pretty my room up with recycled furniture, making up for the lack of a bed (we still sleep on mattresses on the floor... hence the student flat feeling!)

A taste of my home on the wall - this is the longest period of time i have ever lived away from the beach

Gina and i indulging in a wine by the lake on a sunny winters day

Shortly after the sun hid behind a cloud so we retreated to the car to admire the view in the warmth along with our much beloved Frankie mags

My first time up Treble Cone

Once the sun falls behind the peaks the shadow looms

My good friend Matt and i playing in the snow

Just chilling near the top of treble cone

Admiring the scenery

Driving down from Cardrona - Wanaka's somewhere under the inversion layer... now who says i have my head in the clouds?!

Of course Wanaka has its share of rowdiness - Shapeshifter concert in the town hall

A shot i love of one of the most energized people i know at Wanaka's Welcome to Winter party

I feel this shot gone wrong tends to sum up the party scene here - grungy winter madness

This is wanaka:
A small seasonal town that is filled with beauty and soul and speckled with the steeze from transient snow feens. A town i have fallen in love with from the start despite its few flaws. A melting pot of cultures, fashions and backgrounds. A town which i love to be in, but also feel relief of to venture outside of its isolated boarders.

My wonderous winter has been wicked and only alliteration can start to convey WOW factor of wanaka!

xxx