#That Wānaka Tree

March 18

They sent their cousins for us in the middle of the night — first, second, once and twice removed. The sandflies, that is. We learned that the females need a blood meal just before laying their eggs so they are the ones that bite, and boy did they ever get a feast.

I read on someone else’s blog that coconut oil stops the itch from a sandfly bite. So at 1:30 a.m., I blearily sauntered to the kitchen to find the can of coconut oil we use for cooking and sprayed my ankles.

I’m not sure if this is what she meant, but I was desperate for relief. Smelling like a pina colada, I headed back to bed.

We left Queenstown in the morning, heading towards Wānaka, an hour or so northeast of Queenstown. We drove on the zig zag Crown Range Road to get there, the highest main road in NZ at 12,066 feet high.

We stopped at the scenic lookout to take in the view of the mountains and Arrowtown below.

Just up the road was the historic Cardrona Hotel, established in 1863, one of NZ’s oldest and most charming hotels. We took a quick pit stop to walk around and ordered fries in the cosy pub because, why not?

We continued on to Wānaka and passed Bradrona, a bra fence that started in the 90s and has raised more than $130,00 for breast cancer. I did not add mine to the fence.

We checked into our Airbnb and hung out for a few hours, doing laundry and relaxing.

We explored the town then stopped at #That Wānaka Tree, a stand alone willow tree in the middle of Lake Wanaka.

Fudog rounded out our evening, a local Asian restaurant that ranked as just OK.

Addendum to a previous post:

My friend, Arianne, asked why we stepped into disinfectant buckets when we arrived at the trailhead for the Milford Sound hike in the March 3rd post. Didymo is a freshwater pest that can destroy rivers, streams and lakes. By stepping in the disinfectant, we helped prevent the spread of these pests. It also helps keep other disease off the trails that can endanger wildlife.

Thanks Arianne for the great question!