Wedderburn

Are the seasons getting confused? The wind dropped overnight which was great, but to wake to a 2 degree temperature this morning had me thinking that I - and the weather - was a bit con-fuddled. Thankfully it has warmed up during the day but nothing like the temperatures I had this time last year when I was down here.

A lovley drive through Grahame Sydney country though the overcast skies didn't really do the landscape justice. A few stops along the way to relax and take in in the surroundings and before I knew it it was well into the afternoon.

The decision about where to stay tonight wasn't too tough in the end. I opted to avoid Wanaka - beautiful though it is. Many hundreds of competitors and support crew for the annual Challenge Wanaka event were enough to tell me I didn't want to be amongst it. Instead, I took a sedate meander towards a campsite along the shores of Lake Hawea I'd promised myself I would come to one day. Today was that day. From the other side of the lake I could see maybe 3 or 4 camper vans so I knew I wouldn't be alone. What I didn't expect was to turn up and find about a hundred people here, all nestled easily into the trees that surround a beautiful open grassed area! It's clearly a very popular spot, and for good reason. It's away from the crowds, it's right on the lake front and there are only very basic facilities so everyone who is here is pretty much self-reliant. There are kids galore, boaties, a paddle boarder, walkers, tenters, caravanners, camper-vanners.....a real mix. It's not quite the quiet solitude I'd hoped for but I'll get that up the Coast a bit over the next few days. For now though, this is perfect.