{"id":7385,"date":"2024-03-20T23:20:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T10:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myblogary.com\/?p=7385"},"modified":"2024-03-23T17:50:36","modified_gmt":"2024-03-23T04:50:36","slug":"an-island-in-a-lake-in-an-island-in-a-lake-in-an-island-in-the-ocean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myblogary.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/20\/an-island-in-a-lake-in-an-island-in-a-lake-in-an-island-in-the-ocean\/","title":{"rendered":"An island in a lake in an island in a lake in an island in the ocean."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

March 20<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s another beautiful day in W\u0101naka. Let\u2019s go on a boat ride to an island on a lake on an island on a lake on an island. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll explain in a minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Brent from W\u0101naka Water Taxi was our skipper to the predator free island of Mou Waho on Lake W\u0101naka. We boarded our boat in Roy\u2019s Bay and headed out into Lake W\u0101naka. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rob Roy McGregor was an early European farmer and settler here and figured he had naming rights to the bay and the hike we did yesterday. He was a known outlaw, so nobody argued with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On our boat ride to Mou Waho<\/a>, or \u201couter island\u201d in M\u0101ori, we learned that Lake W\u0101naka<\/a> is the 4th largest in NZ and 1,115 feet at its deepest point. Carved by glaciers thousands of years ago, four small islands reside within the lake. Brent assured us the lake water was pure and drinkable, but I didn\u2019t test it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The town of W\u0101naka, meaning \u201cplace of learning,\u201d was once called Pembroke after a UK Cabinet Minister. Residents changed its name to W\u0101naka in 1940, but Brent said no one knows why. It\u2019s not a M\u0101ori word. To me, W\u0101naka is a less crowded, more chill place than Queenstown with beautiful views of the Southern Alps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On Lake W\u0101naka<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Brent dropped us and 9 other people off on the island, waved goodbye and sped away. Did I unknowingly agree to be a participant on NZ\u2019s next season of Survivor?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ciao bella<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Taking stock of our food supply, I wondered how long we could survive, and if I would have to share my Whittaker\u2019s mini dark chocolate orange bar with anyone, or keep it hidden and privately nibble away at it in the dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the only way onto the island is by boat, it\u2019s pretty remote and unpopulated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first sound we heard once we started walking was that of blissful silence, broken up by the melodious songs of the bellbirds, birds we became familiar with on our previo hikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NZ Bellbird<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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