Wanaka claims to be the worlds first lifestyle reserve. Like anything that is a first, it is going to be unfamiliar to many and indeed, we were not sure what a lifestyle reserve is.
We were already familiar with Queenstown which is only some 70km away. Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of the world with every conceivable activity for adrenaline junkies and thrill seekers including bungi jumps, tandem paragliding, tandem skydiving and jet boat river rides. No ambiguity in its claim, but this is certainly not a match for our lifestyle so we had chosen Wanaka in the hope of finding something more relaxing.
In Wanaka we found walking, cycling and hiking tracks. We found waterskiers, kayaks, the occasional jet ski and parascenders on the lake. All with space to pursue their own pastime without impacting each other and barely disturbing the tranquility of the crystal clear lake. We met friendly mountain bikers considerately sharing the track as we walked, but even on a glorious summer weekend, our walk was largely solitary. We got rather carried away with the lifestyle and after 2 hours of walking the Wanaka Millennium Track in the midday sun we felt we ought to turn back. No tea rooms or coffee kiosks here and we were completely dependent on our own supplies.
Apparently a lifestyle reserve promises all of the things we had observed such as a lack of crowds, the space, the scenery, the daring pursuits and a time to breathe. We now fully understand what this means.
In Wanaka we certainly found a lifestyle reserve that suited us best and hopefully Wanaka will be the first of many more.
Wanaka Millennium Track
No comments:
Post a Comment