It’s been a while since we had a break, I am currently injured (no, not the knee replacement) and wasn’t expecting this at all. It was lovely just to get away for a while in one of my favourite places – Wanaka – and just relax.
The occasion was that it was my birthday (no not a big one, so I was hoping to just slide through the week and forget about it!) but Mark wanted to mark the occasion with a treat. Aaaaw! He booked a hotel and everything, which is very rare for us, because we usually just stay in camp sites!
We love Wanaka, because it’s up in the lakes but not as commercially driven as its neighbour – Queenstown. (But, sadly, it is heading that way also). It was just a short weekend away to have a break from it all, so no agenda.
I am now suffering from a foot injury so cannot walk too far (which upsets me, because I only just got over the damn knee injury!)
Otago mountains 
Cardrona Hotel 
Route 6 cafe Lumsden
A compulsory stop in Cardrona on the way through for a quick pitstop (because, quite simply, it’s a beautiful scenic old hotel with a lovely atmosphere!) and we arrived in Wanaka in time for tea, beer and some rugby on the TV in the local pub.
Mark got up early the next day to do the local park run – one that he has done before, but for reasons unknown to me, he really loves the park run movement so takes every opportunity to be part of one wherever he goes! I stayed in bed! Hahaha
We love mooching around the Wanak shops, specially the op shops because you can always find a bargain if you look hard enough and its great to have a slightly different limited shopping option! Invercargill is so small – most things need to be bought online!
We have been before, but we went again, to the toy and transport museum in Wanaka. I must have missed this detail last time, but I find it quite upsetting when most of the toys I played with as a kid are now in a museum – along with the furniture I used to have at school, the hoover I owned as a student and the TV my parents used to have when I was growing up!
We cannot get through a blog without food porn… because the food in some of the cafes in Wanaka is just to die for!
breakfast! 
a local bar ‘starter’ course
I decided to go for a massage while I was there. I don’t think I have had one that is not with my own staff, for – like – for ever! Lol. I am pretty sure I have not paid for a massage since became a massage therapist three years ago! Sufficed to say I had high hopes.
Now, the therapist did a fine job actually. However, the room was small, she had to lean on me to get around the table and she had her phone in her pocket, which rang during my massage! Plus, she never read the health screening form I was asked to fill in. Oops! All it did was amplify for me how awesome we are at Ryding2Health!
You see some odd things in Wanaka sometimes! haah!! The blue dog – we are assuming had been part of the colour run which was taking part on the lakefront as we stopped for an ice cream. The bird was rather cheeky and parked itself right on the table in front of us hoping for a tit bit!
We even got a snippet of it actually taking food from Mark’s finger! So is the tourist bad habits in this town, teaching the wildlife bad habits also!
All in all, we had a lovely weekend of time out, much needed despite my injury (sorry Mark) so thank you for forcing me away from work for a while!
Of course, I could not leave without a quick swim, although Wanaka’s pool is pretty tiny – I was quite surprised!
Melanie Magowan 