Monday - the longest day

[I wrote this on my tablet over the course of the day]

I woke up about 7:30, which is about usual for here. Took a shower even though I knew I didn’t need one nearly as much just then as I would by lunchtime. But it was my last access to a shower for quite a while so I did it anyway. Then I had the free breakfast at the lodge. It wasn’t much, cornflakes, toast, and tea, but I had enough hiking food still so I wasn’t worried.


Then I went off and did the Lake Dispute hike. I was expecting it to be loop and it was more of an up and back down. Still it was exactly what I was hoping for. I’d have been happy doing hikes like that every day I think. It was more hike than walk, not at all technical, but definitely going up a mountainside. Fantastic views around every bend. The sound of sheep up on the hill.

A website guide had suggested the walk and where to find it. Here's the sign at the start.

That's Lake Wakatipu.

Some hives I thought B might be interested in.

So after the expected 40 minutes of walking I got to another sign with another walk. I had plenty of time. It was perfect weather. Onward I went.

And now I could start to see Lake Dispute.

It was an upward hike, but I liked that about it.

And then after the second 40 minutes of hiking I got to another sign. That was not the carpark where I left my car. But I could hear voices so I went left to see if anyone knew if the loop would actually loop me back to where I needed to be.

When I got to the top there were a few Australians sitting on the benches waiting for some others. They thought I was them when I first approached. You could see the trail I came in on from there and I asked if there was a loop around the lake or otherwise that would get me back to that. The answer was not really, but you could do this or you could do that. Both options involved 2-3 more hours of walking and a stretch on the main road to get back to the car. It’s not a good road for walking. And while I am now killing 4 hours between finishing the hike and going to the airport, I didn’t want to risk all of that time on a trail.

It was a great overlook. You can see the trail I came in on from this picture. And Lake Dispute and Lake Wakatipu both.

This is the back side of that last sign. From this side it makes more sense. And it did in fact take nearly an hour to walk back to the road. I was never lost, but I was never exactly sure where the trails were going. Some day I'll go back, but I'll have hiking and tramping book so I am better prepared. 

Nice view on the way down as well.

So I went into town to find a bathroom and then drove back out to an overlook to sit and eat the last of the food. I still have a couple of hours, but I rather sit here looking at the mountains and reading a book then sit at the airport with no view and read a book.

This is where I was eating lunch. That's Queenstown in the distance on the left and the Remarkables further away on the right.

—Later (3:30 local time)
I am now the proud holder of 4 boarding passes that will eventually get me all the way to Albany. My bag is checked and I shouldn’t see it again until I get to LA. I’m still hopeful that once I get there I can sweet talk my way into a sooner flight rather than have 8 hours to kill there. I know a flight exists. If I can’t get on it I wonder if it would be better to cancel it if they’ll give me a refund, or other flight or something. Then just use points to fly home on Southwest. We’ll see. It’s not a problem I can work on solving for another 14 hours or so.

The Queenstown airport really was as easy as expected and I did not need to be here this early. I knew that. I was just feeling a little weird with not enough time to really do anything, but too much time to not do something. After the hike I was feeling strange, ready to go home, but not wanting to leave. Wanting to move on, but not wanting to go home. I wanted to get in the car and just drive somewhere. I probably could have gone to Arrowton or someplace like that, near enough, but not yet visited. But I had neither a good map nor a navigator. Anyway, that wasn’t my mood. It wasn’t drive around here, it was get in the car and go. Maybe because everyone else really did go somewhere: Auckland, Christchurch, Invercargill. It’s not like C&J saw much of Christchurch. They’re heading home today too. It’s just my weird mood.

Anyway, ever onward.

—Later
The international terminal at Auckland is loud.

—Later Tomorrow, yesterday, today?
It’s still Monday according to my phone, but according to my watch it’s been 24 hours since I was sitting on the mountaintop eating lunch. I checked the departures board and there is an earlier flight to Newark, in fact it’s leaving in a half an hour. But there was more than a 30 minute wait at the customer service desk so I didn’t even try. B gave me a 1 time pass to the United Club lounge. Comfy chairs with plugs and USB ports, free coffee and tea, and a free buffet of Texas chili if I liked that and enough other nibblies that I can keep from getting hungry. It’ll do. If you were flying enough that you’d regularly qualify for this I can see why you’d wait here and not with the unwashed masses. Though honestly, I am feeling rather unwashed at the moment.

Oh and it’s raining in LA. How odd.