Chapter 11: Towards Wanaka

19/12/19

Towards Wanaka

Bye bye Timaru! Time to get touristy again. However, during yesterdays road trip I lost my screw for connecting my camera to my Gimball. This tool allows me to make steady movies (but setting it up requires some time so I don’t do it that often). Without it, all my movies will remain shaky because of my trembling hands, which is of course not very nice. I decide to head out to the local MEGA

hardware store and see if I can find a normal screw that would hold my camera. You can easily find it since it is the most orange building in Timaru. The store is indeed MEGA and it takes me some time to find the isle with screws. I am greeted by Max, an older employee with some years of experience in the hardware business. I explain the problem and what a coincidence. Max himself his an amateur photographer. The conversation quickly turns into comparing Pentamax, Canons and Sony camera’s and the additional lenses. Apparently, real camera people really really really like talking about lenses =). He even has an old pentamax to capture pictures on film. Currently his granddaughter is using it to take pictures on her holidays. Max and I open up different type of screw boxes to find which one fits my Sony Alpha 6400 properly. After testing multiple screws, we eventually stumble upon the good old ¼’ inch one that fits smoothly. Good old American standards according to Max. I have no clue since my hardware knowledge skills are rather poor but hey,

we found it! I wish Max good luck, merry Christmas and 6 dollars later I have something that should hold my camera in place on the Gimball! Hooray! No time to test yet, I need to fill up Sparky #4 since the drive to Wanaka will take 4 hours and everyone knows, the West Coast is even more expensive than the East Coast.

I decide to skip the SH8 highway that would bring me next to Mt Cook and lake Tekapo since that scenic route will be my final destination when returning the car in Christchurch. The only alternative route is down the smaller SH83 that follows the Waitaki River. The landscape is flat and the ideal route for cyclist to cross from one side of the island to the other side. People who like to do multiple week cycling trips, you can do it in New Zealand! I pass a large dam that is essential for the production of electricity on the Southern Island. Further down the road, merino wool sheep are grazing the field. A big sign reveals that this is the home of the merino wool used for the

production of Icebreaker shirts, the best you can get on the market! I love my merino wool shirts so much, which have kept me warm countless nights. Get your hands on them people, these base layers are awesome! The wind is picking up and every time I get out of the car to take a picture I feel like a parachute! Something to do with my large surface to volume ratio I suppose. But sometimes it is worth getting out of the car because today I saw my first rainbow cloud! I have no scientific explanation for it but I am rather sure that Frank Deboosere or Jill Peeters (depending which weather channel you prefer) knows exactly what is going on!

Crossing one of the smaller islands I take my lunch break right in the middle of it. Avocado, tomato, roasted red pepper spread and peanut butter replenishes my energy level, which I top off with one of my final pieces of Belgian chocolate. Damn, soon I have to buy New Zealand chocolate o_O which is fucking expensive and not as good

as the Belgian one. After my break I eventually I make it back onto the SH8 highway. The open fields are replaced by mountains, which give way to the Lindis Pass. At this altitude no trees or flowers are present resulting in a naked landscape. I quickly take some picture since more and more clouds are starting to appear. Not soon after the rain starts to hit heavily when I drive into Wanaka.

I check into the YHA hostel, which is located close to the famous lake. Because of the bad weather, all the people kinda decide to stay inside. At any given time, at least 30 people are simultaneously present in the hostel making it feel like a busy beehive. Cooking is pleasant but I still have one goal to make! Taking a look at the most famous tree in New Zealand tree, the Wanaka tree (Yes, its Instagram that made it famous). Raining jacket on, camera tightly in hand and of I go into the storm. Well, it felt more heroic than it probably was but a quest is a quest. A small hike into the wind brings

me to the tree, which seems to be submerged halfway into the water. What a disappointment that was! Normally you could see the solo tree standing in the water. And I don’t even have a good zoomlens to capture that beauty. Well what should be 30 degree and summer seems to be 18 degree and raining. In New Zealand you follow the rules of nature. Time for some Stormzy music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJQy_R9CYR4). I leave the storm behind and get back to the hostel. Tomorrow is hiking day!