We left Queenstown for the hamlet of Wanaka. We used some of our credit card bonus points to book a room at a swanky B&B. The guidebook said, "Wanaka wakes up in a big way for New Year's Eve," so we expected things to be a little crowded.
We were not disappointed! The streets were filled with teenagers - lots of lads and ladettes with bad haircuts and bottles of blue Powerade. Do I sound like an old lady? Just wait until you hear what we did to ring in 2010!
The banks of Lake Wanaka.
Our B&B was pretty nice. Nate swiped the biodegradable bottle of organic peppermint hand soap and I took a nap under the possum fur blanket on top of possum fur pillows. We figured that set probably cost at least $1,000! ooh la la!
We had an early dinner because every restaurant in town was booked up for seatings after 6:00. We took a leisurely stroll back to our B&B, put the baby down for the night, shared a tray of New Zealand cherries (DELICIOUS!) and were snoozing before it was fully dark outside. We didn't hear any midnight revelers and slept through the fireworks over the lake. Unlike most of them, our alarm clock doesn't have an off switch and she was chirping bright and early on New Year's Day.
These two pictures are the only ones I took in Wanaka. We would recommend you skip it.
