Didn't have a good sleep last night because the man near us was snoring loudly in his tent. After a good breakfast in Wanaka, the sky was cloudy so I decided to go up Isthmus Peak (5-6 hours return) the next day which is forecast to be sunny. But later on I forgot it was going to be a long drive (3-4 hours) to Te Anau and there wouldn't be enough time to pick up our Kepler Track hut tickets before the Fiordland National Park visitor centre closes. Oh bugga, till next time Isthmus. Dropped by the Wanaka tree and checked out the lavender farm before moving on to Lake Hawea in the afternoon. 

 

Occasional rain and gale in exposed places was forecast over the new year when we will be on the Kepler Track. So far we've been quite lucky with the weather during our walks and the weather forecast around Luxmore Hut was making me quite apprehensive about whether we should still go ahead with the Kepler Track. We dropped by the Mt Aspiring National Park visitor centre for some advice and the DOC lady who sounded very familiar and experienced with several tracks in the area was helpful and gave us good advice. I walked away feeling more assured and prepared for what's to come. 

After setting up our tent in Hawea, we went for a walk along the lake, people watched and he decided to go for a swim. 

A spectacular place to be swimming in - pristine waters and surrounded by mountains 

According to him, the water is clear and doesn't taste salty. A colleague told me Hawea is a glacier lake and the water originated from the mountains.  

The girls had some difficulty getting their kayak out onto the water and he gave them a hand and asked if he could have a go in it later.  

Row row row your boat~

After a little row around, he returned to shore while the girls went out with their inflatables.

I am amazed that people here are so comfortable with their natural environment since young and they are so fortunate to be able to relax in such a beautiful setting. 

Lake Hawea Holiday Park was busy as well with many families and children. While using an abandoned jetboil stove (the owner had left a 'free' note on it) to cook our dinner, the flame turned out too big and melted a bit of the plastic handle on our Kathmandu pot. He started to get grumpy again.

Other than the above unhappy incident, we had a pleasant stay at Lake Hawea Holiday Park.