Day 56: Wanna go to Wanaka?

So, the next morning we performed a ritual which by this point was second nature: wake up, pack up, ship out. As with every morning, I was the last one to grumpily awake, eat a quick breakfast, and get rolling. Unlike most mornings though, we had a detour. It was time to go bungee jumping.

We had signed up for the jump the day before, at the first bungee site in either NZ or the world (not sure on the details). It was a 43 (150ft) meter drop to the river below, over an old disused bridge. 4 of us would be jumping- I didn’t dare risk it for fear of my back being injured again, but the other 4 guys were…enthused. As soon as they had paid before there was a range of emotion: Dylan was instantly regretting the outflux of cash, Fabian was immediately regretting that he now had to jump off a bridge, Jens was calling ‘shotgun’ on first jump, and Andrew was stuck in silent contemplation (probably wondering if gravity worked on Canadians).

We drove to the location, which was almost painful in its beauty. The river was a bright aqua blue- the trees on the cliff’s edge had just began to turn, and were a beautiful golden hue. The cliff walls were reflecting the morning sun- it was a perfect day to die… I mean jump- it was the perfect day to jump.

The jump, I was told, was exhilarating. There was no feeling of falling, no pit in your stomach. It was universally described as utter freedom. I wish I had risked it. All 4 jumped, and each had a different style. Jens, the first, silently plunged to the water below, barely missing it- he let out a victory yell. Fabian, second to go, spread his arms, screamed an utterance is German, and succumbed to gravity himself. Dylan, a six foot 200 pound fellow, had the most graceful jump I had ever seen- he dove and almost reached the river, and then began his springy ascent up a few feet. Unlike the others, though, Dylan became an acrobat- he arched his back and sailed through the air. There was every indication this man was flying, with all the confidence of a raptor. He looked over the ground he was defying, and seemed to command the altitude he desired. It was something to behold, especially behind a 200mm camera lens. To round things out, Andrew got on the plank, gave his usual thumbs up, and shouted “To infinity, and Beyond!” before jumping with abandon. He went straight first into the river, and then was yanked back up by the cord, spiraling as water flung from him in every direction. All four styles were unique and wonderful to watch.

After the jumps (totally worth it) we drove among mountains and hills to Wanaka. Wanaka is as beautiful (nearly) as Queenstown, but not nearly as touristy. Also on a lake (Lake Wanaka), the town boasts kayaking, biking, and free glacier trekking/mountain hiking. Fabian and I rented some bikes and took some pictures along the lake- as the sun set between the peaks, it illuminated the far side, which was a series of grassy steppes, unlike anything I had seen before. As we rounded a bend, we then came across a shore that looked like Tuscany (so I was told by Fabian). It still amazes me how quickly the scenery can change here in this country.

After our bike ride (only cost us about $8 USD) we made dinner- salad! We had to hurry, though, because we had a surprise for Dylan and Fabian- something a Canadian we met suggested to us more than a week before. We hit up the cinema.

The Wanaka Cinema is a piece of work- the closest thing I had seen since was Galaxy Cinema in Cary, NC. The entire seating arrangement consisted of armchairs, couches, loveseats, and even an old car (drive in movie, anyone?). It is like sitting at home in your comfy sofa, with a 30 foot TV screen. The place makes food to take in, soda, water, tea, coffee, popcorn, beer, wine, and best of all- cookies. The show (we watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) had a 10 minute intermission, which coincided with cookie time. They were soft, gooey, homemade, and giant. This was the best film experience I have had in a good long while. We walked back under the Wanaka stars, talked about physics, string theory, and multiverses (multiple or an infinite amount of universes), and called it a night.